J 




Class ZEl^L5J&£> 

Book Jl2__ 

Copyriglrt>J? 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 




H. Frances Davidson and Adda G. Engle. 



SOUTH AND SOUTH 
CENTRAL AFRICA 



A RECORD OF FIFTEEN YEARS' 

MISSIONARY LABORS AMONG 

PRIMITIVE PEOPLES 



H, FRANCES DAVIDSON 



(WITH PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE MISSIONARIES) 



PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY 

BRETHREN PUBLISHING HOUSE 

ELGIN, ILL. 

1915 



3^ 3 



J3 



Copyrighted by 

H. FRANCES DAVIDSON 

1915 



Books may be obtained through 

H. R. DAVIDSON 

Auburn, Ind. 

Route 3 

or 

M. L. HOFFMAN 
Abilene*. Kans. 



MAY 10 1915 

$ CI.: A 397977 



DEDICATED 

TO 

MY FATHER'S LIFELONG FRIEND 
DR. W. O. BAKER 

And to All Others, Who, Like Him, Are Deeply 

Interested in the Evangelization of the 

Dark Continent 



INTRODUCTION 

With utmost confidence and pleasure, I give an 
introductory expression for this intelligible, authen- 
tic, and most valuable little volume, the product of 
great sacrifice and long experience, by one who was 
favored and honored with lucrative educational po- 
sitions, being a classic. 

I have been acquainted with the authoress for 
many years, and am a member of the Foreign Mis- 
sionary Board under whose auspices she has most 
effectually labored during an unbroken period of 
one and one-half decades ; therefore I speak with 
great assurance of the merits and hope of her book, 
destined to be prolific and incentive to active mis- 
sionary operations in foreign lands. 

The photo-engravings have special interest, hav- 
ing been taken from real life and nature as she 
found them in dark Africa — places, people, environ- 
ments, customs, habits, and religion, which she saw 
with her own eyes and mind. Having thoroughly 
mastered various dialects of tribes among whom 
she has labored so many years, having gathered 
many historical facts relative to uncivilized races, 
and also having special tact, instinct and God-given 
ability through the gift of the Spirit, making her 
very efficient in her call to these dusky tribes, she is 
qualified in a very proficient sense to compile the 
story of this strange people. 

On meeting Sister H. Frances Davidson, one is 
quickly impressed with her modest and unassum- 
ing disposition, the rare gift that characterizes all 
the truly noble and great. 

Her heroism and unfaltering faith in Jehovah is 
5 



6 INTRODUCTION 

most remarkably demonstrated in her adventure- 
accompanied by Sister Adda Engle (Taylor) and a 
native boy— into the wilds of Central Africa, unfre- 
quented by the tread or touch of any Gospel mis- 
sioner, among a class of raw natives that were very 
shy, rather hostile, and of another tongue, and a 
country infested with wild, vicious animals. 

When the planning of this adventurous trip was 
heard by the Foreign Missionary Board, steps were 
taken to discourage it, on the ground that no white 
man was available to accompany them to the new 
prospective mission field ; but before the Board's 
protest could be made effective, the dangerous jour- 
ney was heroically and successfully executed and a 
new mission station planted north of the great Zam- 
bezi, which is the northern boundary of South 
Africa. 

Such an adventure would almost challenge the 
courage of the bravest man. It must have been the 
leadings of the Lord — the inspiration of the Holy 
Spirit. 

We all love to read the truthful words that drop 
from the pen of such fearless, devoted, and conse- 
crated souls. 

The book is written in a clear, graphic, and con- 
densed manner, just the thing for this busy, rushing 
generation. 

We bespeak for it a precious harvest of lasting 
fruitage. 

Yours in the hope of the Gospel, 

J. R. ZOOK, 

Chairman of the Missionary Board 
of the Brethren in Christ's Church. 



PREFACE 

Africa holds a unique place in the world today. 
In no other continent is there such a world-wide 
interest and such a variety of interests centered ; 
the religious, the political, and the commercial 
world are alike concerned in its development and 
progress. It has been a sealed book for so many 
centuries that the majority of people have excused 
themselves on that score for their ignorance of its 
conditions and their indifference as to its welfare; 
but the day of pardonable ignorance is past. 

While kings and emperors have been eagerly 
seeking to obtain as large a slice of its territory as 
possible, and moneyed men have been unearthing 
some of its vast wealth, missionaries, too, have been 
having a share in it. In the development of Africa 
they may, without boasting, claim to be making the 
most permanent contribution to its welfare, but 
even their work is only begun. The various inter- 
ests, which for a long time were concerned with 
only the countries along the coast, have now pene- 
trated and opened up that vast interior to civiliza- 
tion and missionary enterprise ; and it remains for 
the Christians to say whether it shall be left to the 
influences of a corrupt civilization or whether they 
will shoulder their responsibilities and rise to their 
privileges in taking the country for God. 

Many missionary bodies are already at work, and 
much is being accomplished ; but the continent is 
so gigantic, the distances to be traversed so immense 
that it will require the united efforts of all God's 
children to pay the debt humanity owes to this 
long-neglected continent and those downtrodden 
pagans. 

7 



8 PREFACE 

It has been my aim in these pages to give, with- 
out embellishment, some idea of the nature of the 
Africans, their character, customs, religion, and sur- 
roundings, as well as some of the difficulties, meth- 
ods, encouragements, and discouragements of mis- 
sionary work among them. Missionaries are often 
censured for being too optimistic, for giving only 
the bright side of their work, therefore I have stu- 
diously sought to avoid this attitude and to give 
an unvarnished account of missionary enterprise. 
Judging from my own convictions and beliefs in 
reference to the work, it seems to me that if I have 
erred in this respect, it has been by understating 
rather than overstating the value and encouraging 
results arising from such labors. 

This book does not claim to be a complete his- 
tory of the Brethren in Christ's Missions in Africa, 
but rather some of the experiences of one member 
of that mission body. Since, however, it has been 
my privilege to be with the work from its inception, 
the enclosed narrative will have the added value of 
giving at least something of the beginning and early 
history of the mission. My only apology for re- 
counting so much of my personal experience and 
impressions in the work is that I am unable to 
give, properly, the experience and viewpoint of 
anyone else. 

We desire to express our thanks to Mrs. Myron 
Taylor, formerly Miss Adda Engle, for the majority 
of the photographs with which this work is illus- 
trated ; also to Elder Steigerwald and the other mis- 
sionaries who have furnished a number of them. 
We had hoped to have some later ones from Matopo 



PREFACE 9 

and Mtshabezi Missions, but have failed in securing 
good ones. 

If this little volume in some small degree arouses 
a greater interest among Christians in the evangeli- 
zation of the Dark Continent, and is a means in 
God's hands of getting the light to a few more of 
the vast millions of pagan Africans, I shall feel 
more than repaid for sending it on its mission. 

H. FRANCES DAVIDSON. 
Auburn, Ind. 



CONTENTS 



PART I 
Matopo Mission 

CHAPTER I. 

Early Missionary Labors — Origin of Foreign Mission- 
ary Work, 1894 — After Two Years — An Appeal — 
My Call — First Missionaries — Preparing to Sail, 
1897, 19 

CHAPTER II. 

On the Deep — England — Bound for Cape Town — Ma- 
tabeleland Chosen — Landing at Cape Town, 29 

CHAPTER III. 

Cape Town — Elder Engle's Interview with Mr. Rhodes 
— Zulu Language — Mrs. Lewis' Kindness — Journey 
to Bulawayo, 38 

CHAPTER IV. 

Matabeleland — Wars with the Natives — Hide in the 
Matopo Hills — Bulawayo — Selection of a Mission 
Site, 45 

CHAPTER V. 

Trekking to the Hills, 1898— Chief and His People- 
First View of the Mission Site — Building Huts — 
Misunderstandings with the Natives — Missionaries 
Working, 53 

11 



12 CONTENTS 



CHAPTER VI. 

Opening of. School— Its Equipments and Work— Sun- 
day Services — Learning the Language — Kraal-visit- 
ing — Matshuba — Sunday-school, „ 66 

CHAPTER VII. 

Reinforcements and Supplies — Mr. and Mrs. Cress, Mr. 
I. O. Lehman. 1899— Clothing for the People- 
Building — Old Queen — First Baptisms — Boer War, 83 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Cresses Open Mission Station — Sickness and Death 
of Sister Cress and Elder Engle, 1900— Sickness 
and Seventh Day Adventist Doctor — Wedding- 
Brother Cress and Sister Engle Return to America. 
1900 c 6 

CHAPTER IX. 

Resuming the Work — Boys' Confession — Hluganisa and 
School — Kraal-visiting — Locusts — Ndhlalambi — 
Sickness of the Lehmans — Trouble in Reference to 
Mission Farm 107 

CHAPTER X. 

Mr. L. Doner and Miss Emma Long Arrive, 1901 — The 
Lehmans Go to Cape Town — Industrial Work — 
Elder and Mrs. Steigerwald Arrive, 1901 — Building 
House on a Mission Station — Training Natives — 
School Work 126 

CHAPTER XI. 

Death of Mr. Rhodes, 1903— Of Fusi— Furlough and 
South Africa — The Compound's Missions — Native 
Bee — Appearance of Congregation, 140 

CHAPTER XII. 

First View of Mapani Land — Medical Work — Remind- 
ed of Call to Interior — Return to America, 1904 — 
Miss Sallie Kreider, 1904 — Opening of Mapani Mis- 
sion and Sister Doner's Death, 1904 — Return to 



CONTENTS 13 



Africa with Mr. and Mrs. Frey and Misses Adda 
Engle and Abbie Bert, 1905 — Mtshabezi Mission, 
1906 155 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Religion of Matabele — Ideas of God — Umlimo Oracle — * 
Rainmaker — Witchcraft — Transmigration of Souls 
— Spiritualism 173 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Customs — Putting Children to Death — Betrothal and 
Marriage — Native Kraal — Polygamy — Food and 
Beer — King Khama — Visits — Generosity and Po- 
liteness — Death and Burial — Grave of King Mzili- 
kazi, 191 

CHAPTER XV. 

Visit to Matopo, 1910 — Improvements — Brother and 
Sister Doner — Mapani — Mtshabezi— Visit in 1913 — 
Bulawayo and Vicinity — Changes at Matopo — Aid- 
ing the People — Love Feast at Mtshabezi — What 
Hath God Wrought? 212 



PART II 

Macha Mission 

CFIAPTER I. 

Early Missionary Labors — Railroad Building — Start- 
ing for the Zambezi, 1906 — -Victoria Falls— David 
Livingstone — Barotseland and Other Missions, ...237 

CHAPTER II. 

Preparing to Advance — Broken Wagon — Journey to 
Kalomo— Interviewing Officials — Difficulties in the 
Way — Permission to Proceed — Macha, 252 



14 CONTENTS 



CHAPTER III. 

Why Selected — Living on the Veldt— First Huts — Spir- 
itual Duties — Learning an Unwritten Language — 
First Christmas, 263 



CHAPTER IV. 

Trying to Begin School — Chief Brings His Son — In- 
dustrial Work — School Books — Wild Animals — 
Threatened Uprising — Mr. M. Taylor Arrives, 1907 
— White Ants — Visit to Nanzela, 277 



CHAPTER V. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Wenger Arrive, 1908 — Need of 
Good Houses — Making Brick — Tsetse Fly — Broth- 
er Taylor's Encounter with Lions, 295 



CHAPTER VI. 

School Work — English — Evangelistic Work — Brother 
Taylor Among the Baila — Building a House — Elder 
Steigerwald and Brother Doner Go North — Visit 
of Elders J. N. Engle and J. Sheets — Marriage — 
First Baptism, 306 

CHAPTER VII. 

Furlough — Encounter with Elephant — Misses E. Engle 
and Mary Heisey Visit Macha — Preparing the New 
Testament — Out-schools — Murder of Chief — Tay- 
lors or Furlough — Death of Semani, 323 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Baby Ruth — Building Church — Training Natives — The 
Year's Work — Brother Taylor Itinerating — Elder 
Steigerwald's Visit, 343 



CHAPTER IX. 

New Books — Native Problems — Studying the Native 
Character — Child Life — Natives Resourceful — Dark 
Side of Native Character, 355 



CONTENTS 15 



CHAPTER X. 

re They Lazy? — Three Natives — Home Training — 
Charlie — Are They Provident? — Naturalists — Atti- 
tude Toward Whites — Generosity of Some — Kraal- 
visiting 372 



CHAPTER XI. 

eas of God — Native Prophetesses — Rainmakers — 
Death and Burial — Digging a Grave — Sacrifice of 
Animals — Beer-wailings — Evil Spirits, 387 

CHAPTER XII. 

•ibal Mark — Decorating the Body — Kinship — Betroth- 
al and Marriage — The Bride — Hindrances to Mis- 
sion Work — Compared to the Matabele — Saluta- 
tions, 402 

CHAPTER XIII. 

ith's Sickness — Medical Work — A Visit Among the 
People — Remember the Aged — David Goes to School 
— Taylors Go to America, 1913 — Wenger's Return 
— Outpouring of the Spirit — Miss E. Engle and Mr. 
L. B. Steckley Come to Macha — First Women Bap- 
tized, 418 

CHAPTER XIV. 

vo Objects Paramount — Need of Native Evangelists 
— Visit to Out-schools — Mianda — Impongo — Ka- 
banzi — Kabwe — Myeki — Chilumbwe, 440 

CHAPTER XV. 

:hmans' Work — -Eysters' Work — Doners Open New 
Station — Present Status — Are the People Eager to 
Hear? — What It Means to Be a Missionary — Qual- 
ifications — Difficulties — God Is Able^ 466 



I- 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

H. Frances Davidson and Adda G. Engle, Frontispiece 

Hut Built by H. Frances Davidson and Alice Heise at Matopo, 58 

Matopo Mission, March, 1S99, 63 

Matopo Mission Church in 1899. Built by Elder Jesse Engie,".'.!! 87 

Mrs. Cress Giving a Lesson in Cleanliness, 91 

Elder Engle and Donkey Team at Matopo Mission, 99 

Matopo Cemetery, 103 

Matopo Mission House. Front View, 131 

" Here lie the remains of Cecil John Rhodes," 149 

Matopo Mission Church. Built by Elder Steigerwald in 1905, ...159 
Back View of Matopo Mission House, Showing Granite Hill Beyond, 161 

In the Matopo Hills, 163 

Mapani Mission, 1907, 168 

Kwidine Taking His Aunt to Church. Matopo M. Hospital, 170 

Christian Wedding Reception Near Matopo, 171 

Matabele Kraal, Near Matopo Mission, 196 

Matabele Women Stamping Grain, 201 

Matabele Women Digging, 207 

Building the Boys' House at Matopo, M. S., 215 

Boys' Brick House at Matopo Mission, 215 

A Native Christian's Home. Matshuba's, 217 

Mtshabezi Church and School, 221 

Mtshabezi Mission in 1910, 221 

Mtshabezi. Baptismal Scene, 224 

Girls at Mtshabezi Mission, . . '. 230 

Victoria Falls Bridge, 241 

Main View of Victoria Falls, 1 *4 Miles Wide, 246 

Macha Mission Huts, 1907, 281 

Macha Boys and Schoolhouse, 287 

The Last Invitation, 291 

Making Brick at Macha, 302 

Brick Kiln. Mr. Jesse Wenger and Helpers, 302 

Macha Mission Dwelling House, 307 

Elder Steigerwald and Mr. Doner on Their Trip North of Macha, 313 

Crossing the Kafue River in a Native Dugout, 315 

Batonga Chiefs and Headmen, 317 

First Baptismal Scene at Macha. Native Congregation Not Visible, 319 

Wedding Dinner at Macha, 320 

The Elephant That Derailed the Train, 325 

Macha Mission School, Boarders, 1910, 327 

Macha Wagon and Oxen Near an Ant Hill, 330 

Simeoba's Village, Viewing the Strangers, 334 

Sisters Engle Crossing the Tuli River in the Matopo Hills, 337 

The Battle Palm, 340 

Macha Mission Church and Bovs' House, 347 

Ruth Taylor and Her Mother. A White Child in the Midst, 351 

Little Nurses. Mianda Village, 359 

Batonga Fisher Women, 364 

Batonga Village with the Cattle Pens in the Foreground, 404 

Cattle Pen of the Batonga 406 

A Batonga Family Traveling, 408 

Native Women — Widows, 410 

Kabanzi Chief with His First Wife, 412 

Giving the Gospel in Macha Village, 414 

Macha Mission, 1913, 419 

Ruth Taylor, 423 

First Christian Marriages at Macha, 426 

David Moyo and His Wife and Child, 429 

Rev. and Mrs. Kerswell with Native Carriers on a Visit to Macha, .431 

Batonga Chiefs, Near Macha Mission, 435 

School at Kabanzi Village, 446 

Sikaluwa, 456 

Brethren in Christ Cottage and Chapel at Johannesburg, 469 

Mr. and Mrs. Isaac O. Lehman and Family, 474 

Boxburg Mission Station. Built by Mr. Jesse Eyster, 479 



PART ONE 
MATOPO MISSION 



; Go ye therefore and teach all nations " 

—Matt. 28: 19 



I 



i 

L 
L- 

P- 
I 

\r 

F 

L 
t 



SOUTH AND SOUTH 
CENTRAL AFRICA 



CHAPTER ONE 
The Beginning of Missionary Effort 

IT was at the General Conference held in May, 
1894, that tne Foreign Missionary Work of the 
Church of the Brethren in Christ originated. 
Previous to that time the old fathers of the church 
had made many missionary journeys through the 
United States and Canada for the advancement of 
Christ's Kingdom and in the interests of the faith 
they so dearly loved. These journeys were made 
without remuneration and often with great dis- 
comfort and sacrifice of time and money. The 
precept that the Gospel was free, " without money 
and without price," seemed so instilled into their 
hearts that some of them, no doubt, would have felt 
pained for people to think that they expected money 
for their services. So while the laity were busy 
with their own temporal duties, these heralds of the 
Cross would often leave their little farms in care 
of their wives and of help, hired at their own ex- 
pense, and devote weeks and months to evangelistic 
work, expecting what? Nothing but their food and 
sometimes sufficient to pay their car fare, if they 
went by train. But it often happened in those 
early days that the entire expense of whatever sort 
19 



20 AFRICA 

was borne by themselves. They looked for no 
reward on earth save the consciousness that they 
were about their Master's business and seeking to 
extend His Kingdom on earth. 

Much honor is due those old soldiers for their 
self-sacrificing labors. In that Great Day when the 
books are opened, perhaps the record of their labors 
may astonish some of us who sometimes criticise 
them for their slowness in launching the foreign 
missionary work of the Church. 

Among them were some who were greatly bur- 
dened for the heathen. Some felt this lack of 
Church activity so keenly that they almost severed 
their connections with it on this account. Others 
saw the need, but, realizing the smallness of mem- 
bership and the limited resources, thought the 
Church was too weak to launch out into foreign 
missionary enterprise. 

In the meantime individual members were agitat- 
ing the question, and some were planning to go 
independently to India and to Central America, 
while others were contemplating going under other 
Mission Boards.' 

While this agitation was going on, the question 
of foreign mission work was brought forward at the 
General Conference in May, 1894, held in the Bethel 
Church, Kansas. On Friday, the last day of the 
Conference, a paper on the subject was read by 
Mrs. Rhoda Lee, but no active steps were taken 
and the question was tabled indefinitely, to the 
great disappointment of some present. Later, on 
the same day, Elder J. E. Stauffer arose, and, plac- 
ing a five-dollar bill on the table, stated that it was 



MATOPO MISSION 21 

for foreign mission work, then sat down. This 
action brought matters to a crisis. Here was mis- 
sionary money and something must be done with it. 

After consultation it was decided that the donor 
be appointed Foreign Missionary Treasurer, and any 
desiring to donate should give their offerings to 
him ; and that, as soon as sufficient money was in 
the treasury to justify the measure, active steps 
would be taken toward sending out missionaries. 
By the close of the day thirty-five dollars had been 
placed in the hands of the Treasurer. The funds in- 
creased slowly but steadily. 

At the Conference of 1895 held in Ontario, "A 
Foreign Mission Board, consisting of Brethren Pe- 
ter Steckly, B. T. Hoover, and J. E. Stauffer, was 
appointed to hold office for five years, subject, how- 
ever, to the advice and control of General Council." 
At the next meeting of Conference in 1896 in Penn- 
sylvania, " The Treasurer of the Foreign Mission 
Fund, J. E. Stauffer, submitted his report, and he 
was congratulated for his successful effort. The 
amount in the treasury is $419.60." This amount 
had been donated in two years. These data have 
been given that it may be seen how the work has 
grown. 

At this meeting it was decided that the funds 
had increased sufficiently to take an advanced step. 
The Board was increased to twelve members with 
an operating board of three. Of this Elder Samuel 
Zook was appointed treasurer, Elder Henry David- 
son, chairman, and Elder Jesse Engle, secretary. 
The Board was empowered to secure volunteers for 
starting a work among the heathen in some foreign 



22 AFRICA 

country, no particular country being designated. 

Of the General Board of twelve members, Breth- 
ren Peter Steckley, J. R. Zook, and Peter Climen- 
hage are still on the Board after a lapse of eighteen 
years. 

Just what was done in the interim I cannot say, 
but on January 15, 1897, there appeared in the 
Evangelical Visitor the following: 

AN APPEAL 

We would call attention to the fact that the committee 
appointed at last Conference is ready to act on the for- 
eign mission work, but up to this time they have received 
no applications. Why is it? Does the Lord not speak to 
some hearts? Or is it because the Church is not praying 
the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest? 

The field is white. The harvest is ready. Who will go 
forth in the name of the Master, filled with the Holy 
Ghost, ready to lay his or her life down for the cause of 
Christ's salvation to the heathen? It means something 
to be a foreign missionary. It means a full sacrifice of 
home, friends and self — a perfect cutting loose. But, 
praise the Lord! when it is done for Christ's sake and the 
Gospel's, we shall receive an hundredfold in this life and 
eternal life in the world to come. 

The Lord has provided money — somebody was willing 
to give it, but who will give himself? I believe the Lord 
has spoken to your heart. Just say, " Lord, speak, thy 
servant heareth." And if the Lord tells you to go, don't 
do as Jonah — try to get away from the Lord — for as 
Jonah did not fare well, neither will you. But if you obey 
God, He will go with you into the ship. We are ready 
and waiting to receive applications, but somebody must 
be willing to obey God or the work will be delayed 
while souls are perishing. 

If the Lord lays it upon your heart to give because you 
can not go yourself, please send your donations to Elder 



MATOPO MISSION 23 

Jesse Engle, Donegal, Kansas, as he is the committee's 
secretary and will keep a correct account of all money 
received and hand it over to the treasurer. The commit- 
tee has not decided yet where the field shall be, but will 
decide when such workers present themselves as arc be- 
lieved to be called of God. South Africa has been spoken 
of; also South or Central America. No doubt God 
will direct when the time comes that somebody is willing 
to go. Who shall it be? 

SAMUEL ZOOK. 

At that time I was teaching in McPherson Col- 
lege, Kansas, and was greatly enjoying the work. 
It was my seventh year at that place, and just the 
day before the article had appeared I had entered 
into a verbal agreement with the other members of 
the faculty to remain for some years, the Lord will- 
ing. No thought of the foreign field had entered 
my mind previous to this, except a readiness for 
whatever the Lord had for me to do. Up to that 
time I verily thought I was doing His will by being 
in the classroom. 

The day that " The Appeal " appeared in the 
Visitor, it was read like the other matter and noth- 
ing further was thought of it; but the day following 
the Lord came to me, as it were, in the midst of 
the class work, in the midst of other plans for the 
future, and swept away my books, reserving only 
the Bible. In reality He showed me Christ lifted 
up for a lost world. He filled me with an unutter 
able love for every soul who had not heard of Him, 
and with a passionate longing to go to worst parts 
of the earth, away from civilization, away from 
other mission bodies, and spend the rest of my life 
in telling the story of the Cross. 



24 AFRICA 

We prefer not to dwell too minutely on the feel- 
ings of that sacred hour. Sufficient to say that there 
and then He anointed me for service among the 
heathen. Not that I have measured up to all that 
He placed before me on that day. On the con- 
trary I have fallen far short; but the consciousness 
of that call has ever been with me, and has strength- 
ened and kept me, in the thickest of the fight in 
heathen lands. Even when the battle was sore and 
defeat stared me in the face, the conviction that it 
was His appointment and His work for me kept me 
fast. 

My first step was to go to my colleagues and ask 
to be released from the agreement into which I 
had entered with them. They were as much sur- 
prised at the turn affairs had taken as I had been, 
but readily agreed not to stand in the way of the 
Lord's call. A letter was then sent to the Mission 
Board, informing them of the call to service and my 
readiness to go and at once if they deemed it advis- 
able to send me. 

Much had been said about missionary work and 
many had seemed eager to go, so that I somewhat 
tremblingly awaited the result, feeling that they 
might not consider me fitted. At the same time a 
private letter was dispatched to my father, who was 
Chairman of the Board, telling him of my convic- 
tions and call. A letter came first from dear father. 
He had been quite unprepared for the news con- 
tained in my letter, and his answer can best be 
summed up in two of his sentences : " How can I 
say yes? and how dare I say no?" He closed the 
letter by advising me to wait a year or two until 



MATOPO MISSION 25 

others were ready to go. The official letter from the 
Board through the Secretary, Elder Jesse Engle, 
stated that I was the only applicant so far and had 
been accepted, but that there would be time to 
finish the year's teaching. It was quite a surprise 
and disappointment to me to learn that there were 
still no other applicants, but not long afterwards 
word came that Elder Jesse Engle and wife were 
likewise seriously considering the question. 

He, as many of my readers know, had realized a 
call to give the Gospel to the heathen while he was 
still a young man, but probably from lack of en- 
couragement and from other seemingly insurmount- 
able obstacles had not obeyed. Now, at the ad- 
vanced age of fifty-nine years, he still felt that his 
work was not done ; and he was ready to enter the 
field, if his way opened, even though it might appear 
to be at the eleventh hour. And she, who had nobly 
stood by his side for so many years, could still say, 
" My place is beside my husband. Where he goes I 
too will follow." 

In the meantime the question as to the location 
of this first missionary venture was beginning to 
agitate the minds of some of us. The Board felt 
that the missionaries should be consulted in the 
matter. The conditions then existing in South 
America were attracting the attention of the Chris- 
tian world. Some countries, notably Equador, were 
for the first time being opened to missionaries. The 
sore need there appealed to me and led to corre- 
spondence with others in reference to that field ; 
but no one was ready to go there. Later I learned 
from Brother Engle that he was led to Africa, the 



26 AFRICA 

country of his early call. The location was imma- 
terial to me, for my call was to the neediest field, 
and I soon realized that Africa, with its unexplored 
depths, its superstition and degradation, its mid- 
night darkness, was surely in need of the Light of 
Life. 

The cheering news soon came that Miss Alice 
Heise also had applied and been accepted as a for- 
eign missionary. That increased the number to 
four. 

At the General Conference in May, 1897, at Valley 
Chapel, Ohio, the following report was given and 
adopted : 

Report of the amount of money in the hands of the 
Treasurer of Foreign Mission to date, $693.46. 

Four candidates presented themselves for the foreign 
mission field and have been accepted as follows: Elder 
Jesse Engle and Sister Elizabeth Engle, his wife, of Done- 
gal, Kansas; Sister H. Frances Davidson, Abilene, Kan- 
sas; and Sister Alice Heise, Hamlin, Kansas, and if ap- 
proved by Conference, it is recommended that they should 
be ready to start for their field of labor as early as Sep- 
tember or October, provided that sufficient means are at 
hand to pay their passage to their place of destination, 
which means are to be raised by voluntary contributions 
as the Lord may direct, and to be sent directly to the ad- 
dress of each of the missionaries. 

The Board recommends that to complete the number 
of workers there should be one more added to the num- 
ber in the person of a brother as an assistant to Brother 
Jesse Engle. 

The Board further recommends that the Conference 
now in session select some well qualified brother to fill 
the vacancy occasioned by Brother Jesse Engle on the 
Foreign Mission Board. Brother W. O. Baker was ap- 



MATOPO MISSION 27 

pointed to fill the vacancy (provided Brother Engle should 
go); all of which is respectfully submitted. 

HENRY DAVIDSON, Chairman. 

SAMUEL ZOOK, Treasurer. 

The summer of 1897 passed slowly for some of 
us who were eager to be on the way; but even the 
days of waiting and visiting were a part of our 
preparation. They were solemn and momentous 
days also to others besides those who were going. 
Some of the friends felt that we should not go ; 
others with tears bade us Godspeed, feeling that we 
might probably never look one another in the face 
on earth again. In October a little farewell meet- 
ing was held at Dayton, Ohio, where God's blessing 
was invoked on the work, and here I said good-bye 
to dear old father, realizing that it would likely be 
for the last time. At Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, we 
were pleased to receive into our number Miss Bar- 
bara Hershey, of Kansas, who also was called to 
the work. 

The actual moving out of the missionaries was al- 
so a great impetus to the financial part of the under- 
taking. During the few months previous to sailing 
$1,500 was given by voluntary contributions into the 
hands of the missionaries themselves, more than 
half of which was handed to Brother and Sister 
Engle in their extended tour of the Brotherhood. 
In addition to this, $639.70 was during the same 
time handed to the Treasurer, making $1,211.64 in 
his hands. 

On November 21 a general farewell and ordina- 
tion meeting for all was held in the Messiah Home 
Chapel, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where the five 



28 AFRICA 

prospective missionaries were set apart for the work 
of the Lord. No brother had volunteered to go 
along as a helper to Elder Engle. This was a 
solemn time to those going, for a new and untried 
field was before them and a voyage and country of 
which they as yet knew nothing. And yet there 
was no fear, no anxiety. On the contrary, to some 
of us the joy of having the privilege of being His 
messengers to those sitting in darkness transcended 
all other emotions, and our journal of that time is 
full of expressions of longing to be in darkest Africa. 
At that meeting Elder Engle delivered a farewell 
address with power and unction from on High, and 
the rest told of their call. After the ordination of 
all had taken place, we commemorated the death 
and sufferings of our Savior. 

If we may judge from expressions made at the 
time and since, there were others in that large audi- 
ence that evening to whom the occasion was an im- 
portant and impressive one. The Church was rising 
to a sense of her opportunity and privilege — yes, 
and duty of carrying out the Great Commission. 
As we went forth, we felt that the prayers of the 
entire Church were bearing us up, and that gave 
renewed strength and courage all along the way. 
Those prayers buoyed us up as we went forth even 
into the blackness of heathendom ; they opened 
doors that otherwise would have been closed; yes, 
and best of all, they opened dark hearts that the 
light of the glorious Gospel of Christ might pene- 
trate. Those prayers yet today are rising as sweet 
incense in behalf of the Dark Continent. 



CHAPTER TWO 
The Voyage and Landing 

Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, Get thee out 
of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy fa- 
ther's house, unto a land that I will shew thee. — Gen. 
12: 1. 

SEVENTEEN years ago a voyage to Africa was 
not the common occurrence to us plain coun- 
try folk that it is today. The majority of us 
had never seen the sea, we knew no one who had 
made the trip, and we knew less about the continent 
of Africa. 

It had been decided that we should sail November 
24, 1897. While Elder and Mrs. Engle were making 
their tour of the churches, some of us had finished 
visiting and were waiting the time of sailing. So 
he suggested that we secure the tickets. We did so 
to England, and through an agent, Mr. Mills, of 
England, arranged in advance for tickets from En- 
gland to Cape Town. The tickets were bought, the 
good-byes were over, and the date of sailing found 
us all at New York Harbor, a little anxious, it is 
true, but eager to launch. 

Being inexperienced, we had a little difficulty in 
having some money matters attended to. Sister 
Hershey and myself had each a draft which we 
desired to have exchanged for one on an English 
bank, and were told by one of the men to take them 
to the bank on which they were drawn and have 
29 



30 AFRICA 

it attended to there. So we were obliged to go up 
into the city the morning of the date of sailihg, 
when the steamer was to leave at 12 M. We were 
gone all morning, only to find on reaching the bank 
that there was no one to identify us, and nothing 
could be done. Hurrying back to the hotel, we 
secured our hand baggage and hastened to the 
wharf. The rest of the company had already em- 
barked, and only a few minutes remained until 
time of sailing, but we appealed to our agent to 
exchange the drafts for some on an English bank. 
Although one of the other men objected on account 
of the shortness of time, he promptly attended to 
them, Elders Jacob Engle and John Niesly,who were 
brothers of Brother and Sister Engle and had come 
to see them off, going security. The gangway for 
passengers had already been removed from the 
steamer and we hurried along that on which bag- 
gage was carried. As soon as we were aboard, the 
steamer Majestic began to move; and ere we found 
the rest of our company on board, a narrow stretch 
of water lay between us and our native land. 

This, our first voyage across the Atlantic, was a 
delightful one. The sea was unusually calm for 
that season of the year, so that none of our number 
became sick, except one, as we neared the coast of 
Ireland. The passengers on board were on the 
whole congenial. As we paced up and down the 
deck, many thoughts crowded in upon us too deep 
for utterance. What did the future have in store for 
us? What awaited us on the other side? The Lord 
alone, whose messengers we were, could foresee. 
The great, wide, boundless space of water was an 



MATOPO MISSION 31 

ever-increasing source of interest and delight, and 
greatly enlarged our conception of the power and 
majesty of Him " who hath measured the waters in 
the hollow of His hand." We felt in truth that we 
had let go the shore lines and had launched out into 
the ocean of His love. 

The second day out was Thanksgiving Day, and 
in company with another missionary on board we 
had a very enjoyable service which was attended 
by most of the second-class passengers. Sunday 
morning there were the regulation Church of En- 
gland services, and later our genial table steward 
asked Elder Engle to preach in the evening. He 
did so to a large, intelligent, and interested con- 
gregation. As there had been much conjecture 
among the passengers as to who we were, and what 
our belief was, he embraced the opportunity, while 
speaking, of setting forth some of the tenets of our 
faith, much to the satisfaction of those present. 

On November 31 the steamer reached Liverpool, 
England, and the first part of the voyage was at an 
end. As we stood on deck gazing at the strange 
scenes around us and at the sea of unfamiliar faces 
looking up into ours, and awaiting our turn to dis- 
embark, we realized in truth that we were strangers 
in a strange land. How was our agent to be found 
on that crowded wharf? — but this question was 
quickly settled. No sooner had we stepped off the 
gangway, than a gentleman approached, and, naming 
us, introduced himself as Mr. Mills, our agent. 
What a relief it was to all of us in our ignorance of 
foreign travel ! We were thus forcibly reminded 
that He was going before and preparing the way 



32 AFRICA 

so that we need have no anxious fear. This thought 
was further impressed upon our minds as we en- 
tered our room in the little hotel in Liverpool, for 
there, on the opposite wall, as we opened the door 
were the words, " The Lord shall be thy confidence." 
Mr. Mills then and there took charge of us and our 
baggage and did not relax his vigilance until we had 
safely embarked for South Africa. 

Fortunate it was that our baggage was in such 
good hands, for part of it had been miscarried and 
reached the steamer at Southampton only about an 
hour before we left that port for South Africa. En- 
glish travel has many things to recommend it, some 
of which Americans would do well to profit by ; but 
one learns to appreciate the excellent system of 
handling baggage in America only after he has had 
a little experience of the slipshod manner in vogue 
abroad. This fact was again brought to my atten- 
tion on my first furlough to America nearly seven 
years later. When I disembarked at New York, an 
English lady from the same steamer bought a rail- 
road ticket from New York to San Francisco and 
checked her baggage. 

I said to her, " Now you need not trouble yourself 
about your baggage until you reach your destina- 
tion." 

" So they tell me," she replied. " It will seem so 
strange to travel without having to look after one's 
luggage." 

One is pleased to note, however, that the in- 
creased amount of foreign travel of late years has 
brought about some improvement along this line, 
even in conservative England. 



MATOPO MISSION 33 

The ride from Liverpool to London was most 
enjoyable, and would have been still more so had 
there been some one to point out the places of 
interest. The fields, still green at that late date, 
were well kept ; but the methods employed in farm- 
ing seemed somewhat antiquated to people fresh 
from the farms of western America. As the train 
glided along we were favored with a glimpse of a 
hunting party in their brilliant colored costumes in 
pursuit of the poor little animals on one of the game 
reserves. The small private compartments on the 
train were a pleasing novelty, but there was no one 
to call off the names of the cities through which the 
train was passing, and the surroundings were too 
new for us to know where to look for the names. 
Once when the guard came to examine our tickets, 
I inquired the name of the place. Concluding from 
his silence that he had not understood, I ventured 
to repeat the question. The stare he gave made me 
realize that I had been guilty of a breach of some- 
thing, but what it was is not exactly clear to me to 
this day. We also had a glimpse of London, that 
great metropolis, with its narrow, crowded streets, 
its rush of business, and its perfectly-controlled busi- 
ness traffic. Here our company was met by another 
agent, who conveyed us to Black Wall and placed 
us on the steamer Pembroke Castle, of the Union 
Castle Line, for a three weeks' voyage to Cape 
Town. 

The associations on the Majestic had been pleas- 
ant and we expected a similar experience on this 
second steamer ; but the long voyage to Cape Town 
leaves much to be desired. One may always find 



34 AFRICA 

some congenial spirits, but even under the best cir- 
cumstances the voyage finally becomes tiresome. 
Only too often the more turbulent element gains 
the upperhand, so that drinking, gambling, dancing, 
and even grosser evils prevail. 

After sailing from Southampton one soon leaves 
behind the cold, chilly winds of the temperate cli- 
mate and begins to enjoy the soft, balmy breezes of 
the subtropical climate. However, as the heat be- 
comes more intense, this enjoyment gradually gives 
place to discomfort. The only stop on the way to 
Cape Town was at Las Palmas, on Canary Island. 
As we approached the place, the low-lying moun- 
tain peaks could have been mistaken for clouds, but 
soon the entire island lay before us in all its beauty. 
What appeared at first sight to be bare cliffs were 
soon seen to be clothed with verdure ; and while we 
were feasting our eyes on the scene, on one side of 
the steamer, our attention was called to the opposite 
side where the city of Las Palmas lay. It was in- 
deed a magnificent scene and beggars description. 
The city, which is almost entirely white, rises tier 
after tier up the mountain side, and the whole had a 
dark background of mountain peaks. We were in 
the bay with the island nearly surrounding us. In 
a short time our steamer was encompassed by a 
number of small boats full of natives, some of whom 
came to sell their wares of fruit or fancywork. Oth- 
er boats were full of diving boys, ready to plunge 
into the sea for money thrown from the steamer 
into the water. 

In a short time the steamer was again on its way; 
but where was it taking the little band of mission- 



MATOPO MISSION 35 

aries? and what was to be their final destination? 
Their tickets called for Cape Town, but beyond that 
the way seemed like a sealed book. Africa, with its 
barbarism, its unknown depths, its gross darkness, 
lay before them ; and they were keenly conscious of 
their ignorance of the continent. They had implicit 
confidence, however, in their Great Leader, and be- 
lieved that they were going to a place which the 
Lord said He would show them. Many prayers 
ascended that they might understand His voice 
when He spoke to them. 

Personally their ideas about the location of the 
work differed. At first Elder Engle felt drawn for 
various reasons towards the Transvaal (not Jo- 
hannesburg), because that was not so far inland. 
To one of the party the call had been distinctly into 
the interior and most needy regions where Christ 
had not been named. All, however, were ready to 
let the Lord lead. 

A number of the passengers on the steamer were 
familiar with some parts of Africa and gave valu- 
able information. One of the officers, the chief 
engineer, was especially helpful. He brought out 
his maps and went carefully over the ground, show- 
ing where missionaries were located and where 
there was need. Ere the party left the steamer, the 
consensus of opinion seemed to be that Rhodesia, or 
the part of it known as Matabeleland, was the 
Lord's place for them to begin aggressive mission- 
ary work. This was further confirmed when it was 
learned that the Cape to Cairo Railroad had just 
been completed as far as Bulawayo, the chief town 
of Matabeleland. 



36 AFRICA 

This having been decided upon, the next question 
was as to how long they were to remain at Cape 
Town before proceeding into the interior. The 
amount of money at their disposal was not large, 
and as it was the Lord's money it was necessary to 
know His will as to its disposal. They soon learned 
that He was continuing to go before and prepare 
the way. Those were precious days of waiting on 
Him ; for never does His will and guidance seem so 
precious as when He is showing only one step at a 
time, and as one becomes willing to take that, lo ! 
another is revealed just beyond. Why then do we 
so often halt, fearing to walk alone with Him, know- 
ing that we cannot stumble as long as we keep hold 
of His dear hand? 

On December 26 the steamer entered beautiful 
Table Bay, and the long voyage was over. Praises 
ascended to Him Who had given such a prosperous 
journey. It was Sunday when land was reached 
and the passengers were allowed to remain on board 
the steamer until Monday if they so desired. All 
of us attended divine services on land Sunday morn- 
ing, and in the afternoon Brother and Sister Engle 
went to the Y. W. C. A. Building where the Secre- 
tary, Miss Reed, offered to help them look for 
rooms. 

They accordingly went on Monday morning, the 
rest of us remaining with the boxes and in prayer. 
They at first were unsuccessful in securing rooms, 
but after again looking to the Lord for guidance, 
Miss Reed was impressed to take them to a Mrs. 
Lewis (nee Shriner), a prominent temperance and 
reform worker of Cape Town, and a most devoted 



MATOPO MISSION 37 

Christian. This lady was a friend in need to many 
of God's children. She had lately rented a large 
building in connection with her work; but the ven- 
ture had not been as successful as she had hoped, 
and she was in prayer about the matter, pleading 
that the place might be made a blessing to some 
one. Even as she prayed, three persons stood at 
her door desiring to speak with her. These were 
Miss Reed and Elder and Mrs. Engle, whom the 
Lord had directed thither. As soon as she heard 
their errand, she felt that here was an answer to 
her prayer. Arrangements were immediately made 
by which they were to receive three plainly-fur- 
nished rooms for a sum which was very moderate 
indeed for Cape Town. She said she would prefer 
to give the rooms gratis if she were in a position 
financially to do so. Together they fell on their 
knees and thanked the Lord for answered prayer 
which meant so much to all concerned. When Eld- 
er Engle returned to the waiting ones their hearts, 
too, leaped for joy at the good news. They thought 
it was almost too good to be true, that so soon 
rooms had been secured, and that they were to 
have a little home of their own without the expenses 
of a hotel. Truly, " He is able to do exceeding 
abundantly all that we ask or think." Boxes were 
soon transferred to the new home and our feet 
planted firmly on African soil. 



CHAPTER THREE 

Preparation and Progress 

WE were here on the threshold of Africa, 
eager to move out. We realized, how- 
ever, how meager was our knowledge of 
this vast continent and its needs, so it was necessary 
to go slow and gain all possible information from 
this vantage ground. 

Cape Town is the oldest of South African cities 
and is the largest seaport town, having a population 
of about 80,000 inhabitants. The long, tiresome sea 
voyage being over, the sight of this picturesque city, 
nestling so cozily at the foot of Table Mountain, is 
one long to be remembered. The mountain rises 
abruptly 3,850 feet in the background of the city. 
Its majestic flat top is two miles long, and when the 
weather is clear, it stands sharply outlined against 
the blue sky. Frequently, however, a white cloud, 
known as the " Table Cloth," comes up from the 
sea from the back of the mountain and rolls down 
over the face, a sign that a change of weather is 
imminent. It has been said, " The glory of Table 
Bay is Table Mountain," and " The glory of Table 
Mountain is the Table Cloth." Bay, town, and 
mountain combine to make the picture beautiful and 
unique of its kind. 

Cape Town was laid out by the Dutch, and the 
substantial, antiquated-looking houses in the older 
38 



MATOPO MISSION 39 

parts of the city bear ample testimony to this fact, 
There are also many fine, modernly-built houses.. 
The place is supplied with all the latest improve- 
ments, which are a necessary part of a modern city. 
The population is most varied. Dutch, English, 
Hottentots, Malays, and Kafirs abound. The scenes 
on some of the streets at that time, especially in the 
evenings and on holidays, were most A^aried and pic- 
turesque. There were to be seen Europeans in ci- 
vilian dress, others in soldier's uniform, Malays in. 
their turbans and bright, flowing robes, well-dressed 
blacks, and the raw native African with only a 
gunny sack to cover him, for clothed he must be 
before he can enter the city. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, together with other Chris- 
tian people whom we met at Cape Town, thought 
Matabeleland, the chosen field, was a good one, 
especially the Matopo Hills, as there were no mis- 
sionaries in that locality. The late Cecil Rhodes, 
who was still powerful in Rhodesia, was at that 
time living on his estate, Groot Schuur, near Cape 
Town, and Bishop Engle was advised to go to 
him and endeavor to obtain from him a tract of 
land for a mission site. This was another special 
season of looking to the Lord on the part of the 
little company, that He might overrule it to His 
glory and to the advancement of His Kingdom. 
Brother Engle was received kindly by the gentle- 
man, and his request was favorably considered, 
especially the suggestion of going to the Matopo 
Hills. He at once gave Brother Engle a letter to 
the British Charter Company, of Rhodesia, with 
the recommendation that we be given 3,000 acres 



40 AFRICA 

of land in the Matopo Hills for a mission station. 
He added that " missionaries are better than police- 
men and cheaper." 

Every forward step only served to confirm us in 
the decision on the steamer that Matabeleland, 
which is a part of Rhodesia, was the Lord's place 
for opening up His work in Africa. The fact that 
the railroad had just shortly before been completed 
that far, thus making it easier of access ; the advice 
of those on the steamer who were familiar with the 
country ; the advice of the spiritually-minded 
friends met at Cape Town, and the encouragement 
given by him, the " Empire Builder," who perhaps 
more than anyone else had the welfare of the coun- 
try at heart and whose name, Rhodesia, the country 
bore, together with the conviction of the mission- 
aries themselves, all served to set at rest any further 
question as to location that might arise. 

Sister Hershey, it is true, was somewhat burdened 
as to whether Rhodesia was the Lord's place for 
her. While she was seeking to know His will in 
the matter, she received a letter from Mr. and Mrs. 
Worcester, of Johannesburg, inviting her- to come 
and assist in the missionary work at the Com- 
pounds. She felt at once that this was the Lord's 
place for her, and accepted it as from Him. We 
were truly sorry to lose so valuable and consecrated 
a colaborer in the work, but felt to bow in submis- 
sion to Him Who knoweth best. 

While we were waiting at Cape Town, we learned 
that the Tebele language spoken by the natives in 
Matopo Hills and vicinity was a dialect of the Zulu 
language. The Bible had been translated into the 



MATOPO MISSION 41 

Zulu, and there were grammars and dictionaries to 
be had, and we at once endeavored to procure these 
so that we might do some studying. Efforts were 
also made to secure a teacher, but the Zulu teacher 
recommended did not have sufficient English to be 
of any real service to us except in the pronunciation 
of Zulu words, so we were obliged to study on alone 
and consequently made very little progress. 

We had arrived at Cape Town in the midst of the 
summer and dry season. Like California, Cape 
Town and vicinity have rains chiefly in the winter, 
and a most healthful climate the year round. Other 
parts of South Africa, however, have their rainy sea- 
son in the summer, and in some localities, notably 
Rhodesia and farther inland, the deadly malarial fe- 
ver is especially severe during the rainy season. So 
we were advised to remain at Cape Town until the 
rains were over in Rhodesia. Mr. Lewis was con- 
templating going north with us to assist Brother 
Engle in opening the work; but before this could be 
accomplished, both he and Mrs. Lewis were sum- 
moned north to Bulawayo by a telegram to minister 
to one of their friends there who was very sick. 

After reaching Bulawayo they immediately sent 
a telegram south telling us to remain at Cape Town, 
and under no consideration to venture into the in- 
terior until the rains were over. As if to emphasize 
the message, both of them, while attending to the 
sick, were stricken with fever, and all were obliged 
to hasten south as soon as possible. We also came 
into contact with some of the Seventh Day Advent- 
ists in Cape Town, and through them learned that 



42 AFRICA 

two of their missionaries in Rhodesia had just suc- 
cumbed to the fever. 

From the illness brought on at this time Mr. 
Lewis never fully recovered, and shortly after our 
departure from Cape Town, we learned, much to 
our sorrow, that he had been carried away by the 
disease. We were often made to feel, as Mrs. Lewis 
expressed it, that the Lord had sent them before us 
to preserve life. Otherwise we would undoubtedly 
have gone to Bulawayo at an earlier date than we 
did and would probably have had to suffer in con- 
sequence. We shall never forget the great kindness 
of these friends during the entire four months of 
our stay at Cape Town. The wise counsel, the spir- 
itual and financial aid which they gave, will ever be 
a green spot in our memory. And not only then, 
but in later- years, Mrs. Lewis' home, " The High- 
lands," and her large heart were ever open to our 
missionaries. As each recruit stepped foot on Afri- 
ca's shores she was the first to welcome him. When 
any needed rest, her house was wide open for any 
who might choose to come and rest there. When a 
few years ago word came that she had gone to meet 
her Savior Whom she so much loved, we all felt 
that we had indeed lost a friend that could not be 
replaced. 

At last the time came when it was considered safe 
to move out, Sister Hershey to Johannesburg and 
the rest to Bulawayo. Mrs. Lewis had given us a 
nice large tent, 16 x 16 feet, which could be used as 
a dwelling place while huts were being built, and 
she had also on her trip north met some of the 
white people of Bulawayo who were ready to assist 



MATOPO MISSION 43 

us. Other friends at Cape Town also kindly helped 
us on the way. 

On April 28, 1898, we took the train at Cape 
Town, bound for Bulawayo, 1,362 miles inland. We 
traveled four days and four nights in a comfortable 
coach and reached the place May 2. The same jour- 
ney formerly required six months and longer with 
an ox team. We passed through only a few towns 
worthy the name ; Kimberley, the center of the dia- 
mond mines, being the principal one. Some of the 
country through which we passed looked like a 
desert ; not a blade of grass to be seen, but the red 
sand is covered with bushes. This is known as the 
Karroo, and, as rain seldom falls on much of this 
land, one is surprised to see flocks of sheep and here 
and there an ostrich farm. There are many flat- 
topped mountains and hills, at the foot of which one 
occasionally catches sight of a farmhouse with its 
accompanying sheep pen. A letter sent to America 
at the time adds : 

Parts greatly resemble Kansas prairies, while the last 
four or five hundred miles of the journey the country 
looks like old, deserted orchards. We were also intro- 
duced to African life in its primitive state, and during 
the latter part of the journey no white people were vis- 
ible save the few connected with the railway service, but 
many native huts were to be seen. Some were made of 
mud, others formed of poles covered with various-colored 
cloth, forming a veritable patchwork, while the natives in 
semi-nude condition came crowding about the car win- 
dows, begging for money and food. How my heart bled 
for these poor souls! Although the railroad was built, 
ostensibly, for the purpose of developing the commercial 
and mining interests of the country; yet, as I looked 
upon those poor natives, I wondered whether the real 



44 AFRICA 

purpose of it under the Providence of God was not to 
bring the Gospel to them. Other missionaries are here 
before us, but I believe we are the first to make use of 
the new railroad for this purpose. 



CHAPTER FOUR 

Matabeleland 

BEFORE proceeding with my story let me in- 
troduce to my readers the people and the 
country to which we had come. The Mata- 
bele are a branch of the Zulu tribe of Southeast 
Africa. During the reign of the great and despotic 
Zulu King, Tyaka, they revolted under the leader- 
ship of Mzilikazi, or Moselikatse, and started north 
through Africa, proving a terror to the various 
tribes along the way and meeting with numerous 
hardships and varying degrees of success. About 
the year 1836 found them in this country, to which 
they gave the name Matabeleland. This land, to- 
gether with Mashonaland, constitutes what is now 
known as Southern Rhodesia. 

Here they established themselves by ruthlessly 
slaughtering all who opposed them, and enslaving 
the natives already in the country. After the death 
of Mzilikazi, his son, Lobengula, became King. He 
was more or less tyrannical, like his father, and he 
lived with his sixty wives about two miles from 
what is now known as Bulawayo — the killing place 
— or, as the natives often say, " o Bulawayo," mean- 
ing murderer. A rock near this place is still pointed 
out as the place where a number of his wives met 
a violent death. 

This King Lobengula ruled his people with a rod 
of iron. The young men were all enlisted in his 
45 



46 AFRICA 

army and the women and children left to carry on 
the work in the gardens and kraals. Rev. Helm, one 
of the first missionaries in the country, said it was 
impossible to get hold of the young men ; and even 
if the boys did start to school, the King would take 
them for his own use as soon as they were old 
enough. He, however, never molested the mission- 
aries themselves, and probably considered it an 
honor to have a white teacher in the country ; but, 
as Mrs. Helm remarked, they were careful not to 
offend him. 

The British Charter Company had obtained some 
concessions from the King in 1889, and, in the next 
year, Europeans entered the country to prospect and 
mine the gold. It was a foreseen conclusion that 
there would eventually be a conflict between a sav- 
age despot, to whom many of the white people were 
obliged to cringe, and a civilized people. The in- 
evitable reached a climax in 1893, when war broke 
out between the King and the white people of the 
country. There were only a few white men in the 
country at that time, but assegais and other native 
weapons were no match for Maxim guns and Euro- 
pean tactics. The King's house being burnt, he 
himself fled and eventually died in January, 1894, 
thus causing the war suddenly to come to an end, 
as there remained no one to keep the forces together. 
The British South African Company took posses- 
sion and began to occupy and build up the country. 

The Matabele, however, did not consider them- 
selves conquered, and many circumstances con- 
spired to bring about a second conflict. Perhaps 
the chief among these was the fact that all the cattle 



MATOPO MISSION 47 

were regarded as the property of the King, although 
being distributed among the people and used by 
them as their own. However, since the cattle be- 
longed to the King, the British Company looked up- 
on them as theirs by right of conquest, and proceed- 
ed to appropriate some of them. This greatly an- 
gered the natives, as also the rinderpest, which 
came later and swept off many of the remaining 
cattle. Then 400 of the subject tribes were armed 
and enlisted as native police ; and this was most 
galling to the proud Matabele warriors, that they 
should be exulted over by their former slaves. The 
disease among their cattle, the locust, which de- 
voured their crops, and numerous other troubles 
were all, by their witch doctors, laid at the door of 
the white man. Umlimo (their god) also affirmed 
that their King was still alive and was ready to 
assist them in gaining their liberty. 

This second conflict, known as the Matabele Re- 
bellion of 1896, came very suddenly upon the 4,000 
white people, scattered in various parts of the coun- 
try. No one seemed to expect danger, although 
there were several who had had a little warning, 
and many natives who were working in Bulawayo 
were called home by their parents. One boy in 
speaking of the time said: 

" I was working in Bulawayo when my father 
sent word that I was to come home. I did not 
want to but I was afraid to disobey. I was afraid 
to look at my father, he looked like a mad man. 
He said, ' We cannot live and be oppressed like this. 
We would rather die than be treated as we are ! ' 



48 AFRICA 

" The rest of the people, too, looked just that 
way ! " 

The natives rose against the Europeans and sud- 
denly murdered 200 in the outlying districts, includ- 
ing a number of women and children. Some of 
these were murdered by their own servants. The 
rest of the white people hastily gathered into the 
new town of Bulawayo, while soldiers scoured the 
country in search of native troops. A large num- 
ber of the native police had gone over to the enemy, 
carrying their rifles with them, and a number of the 
natives, both in Matabeleland and Mashonaland, 
had in some way secured several thousand firearms ; 
so that in this war the natives were much better 
prepared. 

This rebellion lasted eight months, and the na- 
tives were finally driven into the Matopo Hills. In 
these, nature's vast strongholds and caves, all ef- 
forts of the European soldiers to dislodge them 
proved unavailing. Here finally came Mr. Rhodes, 
unarmed, into the midst of the enemy's camp and 
made peace with them. The tree under which this 
famous council was held is still pointed out not 
many miles from where Matopo Mission now is. 
We entered the country a little over a year after 
the close of the rebellion, while all the causes and 
events were still fresh in the minds of the natives. 
What is still more significant, we were located in 
the very heart of these hills where no missionary 
had yet penetrated, and being surrounded by many 
of the rebels themselves, we were able to glean 
much of the above history at first hand. When we 
went among them they were still seething with dis- 



MATOPO MISSION 49 

content from the same cause which led to the Re- 
bellion. 

Mr. Rhodes, who had made peace with these na- 
tives, was always respected and trusted by them, 
and while he was no religious man himself, he thor- 
oughly believed in missionary work among the peo- 
ple. His desire that we come to these hills and his 
statement, that " missionaries are better than police- 
men, and cheaper," was actuated by no mercenary 
motive. It was his conviction, borne out by experi- 
ence and by long years of contact with the Africans, 
that missionary work and the Christianization of 
the natives was the only solution of the native prob- 
lems. 

But to return to our story, we arrived at Bula- 
wayo late in the evening and were taken to the 
Royal Hotel. This was a good, up-to-date hotel, 
with an up-to-date African price. In the morning, 
as we looked out of the window, the first sight which 
greeted our eyes was a large African wagon drawn 
by eighteen oxen. Except for this and similar 
sights we could easily have imagined that we were 
in an American town, for this place, with broad 
streets and thriving business, is said to have been 
patterned somewhat after American cities. My 
impressions of the town and vicinity written at the 
time were as follows : 

Bulawayo is a modern wonder, an oasis of civiliza- 
tion in the midst of a desert of barbarism and heathen- 
dom. It has nearly 3,000 inhabitants, and has been built 
since 1894. Before that time Lobengula, the great Mata- 
bele King, held sway about two miles from here at the 
place where the Government House now stands. This 
place reminds one of the booming Kansas towns of a few 



50 AFRICA 

years ago, but it is hundreds of miles from any other 
civilized place, and is well built of brick and iron, has 
good stores of all kinds, five churches, public library, 
electric lights and telephone, not only in town, but also 
extending to various police forts in the surrounding coun- 
try, but no public schools. There are comfortable riding 
cabs, or traps, drawn by horses or mules, but the traffic 
is carried on by heavy carts or still heavier wagons drawn 
by a large number of oxen or donkeys. The manual labor 
is done chiefly by the native boys, the white people con- 
sidering it beneath their dignity to do anything a native 
can do. 

The surrounding country is very pretty and level, and 
one can see an abundance of the " golden sands " men- 
tioned by the poet, and even gold sands are not wanting, 
but I am sorry to say that the " sunny fountains " rolling 
down them are very few, especially at this season of the 
year when there are seven months of drought! 

This for Bulawayo in 1898 and first impressions. 

We remained at the hotel only two days. Our 
tent and the other goods had not yet arrived, but a 
gentleman, to whom we had a letter of introduction 
through Mrs. Lewis, most kindly offered the use of 
his house and furniture for two weeks, which offer 
was gratefully accepted. Before the end of that 
time our tent had arrived, and this being placed on 
a vacant lot furnished ample protection for that 
season of the year. 

Bulawayo, being of such recent growth and being 
surrounded by pagan tribes, would have afforded 
abundant opportunity for missionary work. Daily 
these raw natives would come to our tent door to 
sell wood or other articles ; and we longed to tell 
them something of a Savior's love, had we been 
able to speak to them. One morning thirteen na- 



MATOPO MISSION 51 

tive women, each with a great load of wood on her 
head, arranged themselves, smiling and expectant, 
before the door of our tent. We could only smile 
in return, that one touch of nature's language which 
is akin the world over. We were thankful that we 
could do so much, but back of the smile was a heavy 
heart that we could do so little. 

During the two months we remained at Bulawayo 
efforts were made to secure a suitable location 
among the Matopo Hills. Mr. Rhodes' letter had 
been delivered to the government officials, and they 
generously undertook to assist in locating the work. 
The first place to which they took Brother Engle — 
the one recommended by Mr. Rhodes — was found 
to have been surveyed by a private individual. They 
then made another selection, about thirty miles 
southeast of Bulawayo, the place now known as 
Matopo Mission, and they agreed to give us here a 
Mission Reservation of 3,000 acres. The officials, 
as well as other Europeans in Bulawayo, rendered 
us much assistance. In addition to these the Sev- 
enth Day Adventist missionaries also greatly 
helped us on the way. These had a mission station 
about thirty miles west of Bulawayo, and about 
fifty miles from the place selected for us ; and while 
we were waiting in Bulawayo, they kindly took out, 
at different times, Brother and Sister Engle and 
Sister Heise, for a visit to their station. 

The time came for us to move out to our 
location among the hills, and the question of how 
we should get ourselves and our goods to the place 
was becoming a serious one. Transportation, like 
everything else in the interior of Africa, was exceed- 



52 AFRICA 

ingly expensive. In this emergency Mr. Anderson, 
of the Seventh Day Adventist Mission, offered to 
come that long way with his donkey wagon and 
move us for half the sum required by a regular 
transport driver. 

It is difficult for the reader to form any concep- 
tion of Avhat these various expressions of kindness 
along the way, coming so unexpectedly from entire 
strangers, meant to that little band of missionaries 
out in the heart of Africa. Even as I write these 
things, after a lapse of sixteen years, and live over 
the events of that time, tears of joy unbidden come 
and my heart wells up in gratitude as I again recall 
these evidences of the wonderful " faithfulness of a 
faithful God." 

We had been ignorant of our destination when 
we left the American shore, and even more ignorant 
of the cost of living in the interior of Africa; so 
that, by the time supplies had been purchased to 
take along to the hills, the money on hand was 
about exhausted. We knew not how long a time 
would elapse before a fresh supply could reach us. 
Knowing, too, that the Church had very little ex- 
perience in foreign missionary work, one could not 
fail at times to be a little'anxious. Thanks, however, 
to the wisdom, ability, and promptness displayed 
by the old fathers who formed the Mission Board, 
and to their support, backed up by the Church ; 
as soon as conditions were understood at home 
means were forthcoming and we were never allowed 
to be in want. 



CHAPTER FIVE 
The Opening of the Work 

We must remember that it was not by interceding for 
the world in glory that Jesus saved it. He gave Himself. 
Our prayers for the evangelization of the world are but 
a bitter irony so long as we only give of our superfluity 
and draw back before the sacrifice of ourselves. — M. 
Francois Coillard. 

WE heartily echo the words of this sainted 
missionary to the Barotse, but we believe 
that the thought uppermost in the heart 
of each of the four waiting ones at Bulawayo was 
not sacrifice but privilege, on that July morning, so 
long ago, when the command to go forward was 
given. We were soon to reach our destination, the 
place to which we had started from New York over 
seven months previously. An account of this trip 
written at the time reads somewhat as follows : 

We left Bulawayo on the evening of July 4 and traveled 
three nights and two days before the mission valley was 
reached. The nights were cool and a bright moon lighted 
up the way, so that traveling went better at night than 
during the heat of the day. The wagon was about eight- 
een feet long, very strong and heavy, and was drawn by 
eighteen donkeys. These were led by one native boy, 
while another with a long whip was doing the driving. 
The load of about three tons was very heavy — too heavy, 
in fact, for a part of the way. Donkeys can travel only 
two miles an hour on good roads and on poor roads it 
sometimes requires two hours to go one mile. Occasion- 
53 



54 AFRICA 

ally we stopped from two to four hours to let the donkeys 
rest and graze. 

During such times we would build fire on the veldt, and 
cook and eat our food; or, if it were night, we would 
wrap our blankets about us, take our pillows, and lie down 
in the shelter of some friendly bush and sleep. Mother 
Engle usually preferred the shelter of the tent on the 
back of the wagon, although the place was too much 
crowded for her to rest comfortably. Since the load was 
so heavy we spent a great deal of the time walking. 
We would walk ahead of the wagon for a distance, then 
sit down and rest until the wagon reached us. Only two 
of three settlers' houses were visible, and no native kraals, 
and we were informed that as soon as the white man 
makes a road, the natives move away from it. 

After twenty miles of travel we came to Fort Usher. 
At this place there reside an English magistrate and a 
number of white police. Here we were kindly received 
and given a native guide for the rest of the journey. We 
now left the government road and plunged into the hills. 
The wagon went along another five miles with very little 
difficulty. Then it mired on going through a swampy 
place, one side sinking nearly to the hubs of the wheels, 
and further progress was impossible. All put forth every 
effort to extricate it but to no avail. What was to be done? 

While we were in this dilemma, the Chief of the natives 
in this part of the country, Hluganisa by name, with some 
natives came to meet us and bid us welcome. They gave 
us a very friendly reception, and then joined in to assist in 
extricating the wagon, but without success. Mr. Ander- 
son, who could speak the native language, explained to 
the chief who we were and our object in coming, and he 
promised to meet us at the mission site the next day, as 
it was now evening. 

Mr. Anderson then took our party forward a little dis- 
tance to a dry spot, where we rested during the night. 
He and his native boys returned to the wagon, and, remov- 
ing the greater part of the load, carried it beyond the 
marshy place. The donkeys were then able to pull out 



MATOPO MISSION 55 

the wagon. It is needless to add that Mr. Anderson and 
his boys were extremely tired after this laborious task 
and were glad to snatch a little rest. Even under such 
circumstances they did not indulge long in the much- 
needed rest, but at an early hour were again ready for the 
journey. Those of us who had enjoyed a good night's 
rest were also aroused, and we started on our last trek 
into the hills. We reached the valley, which is to be our 
home, on the morning of July 7. 

This valley is surrounded by immense granite hills and 
boulders, some of which cover hundreds of acres, so that 
at first sight the rocks seem to constitute the chief part of 
the country, but a closer inspection showed us to what 
a beautiful place God had led us for His work. There, 
spread out before our eyes, was a beautiful rolling valley 
of rich, dark earth, well supplied with an abundance of 
fresh water. It was stated that the " sunny fountains " 
are rare in this part of Africa, and that is true. Here, 
however, in this beautiful valley, in the heart of Matopo 
Hills, are sparkling fountains of beautiful water, crystal 
clear, oozing from under the surface of the rocks, and 
flowing down the valley. Some contain delicate mosses 
and pretty water lilies, and surpass the Michigan lakes in 
transparency. 

In the meantime the Chief had sent word to the head- 
men of the various kraals to meet us. So, in the morning, 
obedient to the call of their superior, they came and sat in 
a semi-circle while their chief addressed them (Mr. An- 
derson interpreting for our benefit) : 

<( These are not like other white people." 

The deep-toned voices of the headmen responded in 
unison, " Yes, my lord." 

He continued, "They have come to teach you and your 
children and to do you good." 

Again came the response, " Yes, my lord." 

" Now do what you can for them and help them." 

And again the same response was repeated. 

One may imagine how that impressed us. Here we 
are, far from other white people, among a class of na- 



56 AFRICA 

tives who have never been subdued by the English sol- 
diers. They are kept in subjection only by forts of police 
stationed among the hills, the nearest being ten miles 
distant. Yet these people recognized us at once as their 
friends 'and received us with kindness far above what we 
dared expect. Our hearts overflow with thankfulness to 
Him who rules the hearts of men. 

The Chief and one or two other natives went with 
us to look up a location on which to pitch the tent 
and build huts. The tent was finally pitched under 
the shade of a large umkuni tree, Mr. Anderson 
returned to his station, and we were left without an 
interpreter, and with no practical knowledge of mis- 
sion work. We had, however, a Great Teacher, and 
we were willing to be taught. 

Both Matabele and their subject races, known as 
Amahole, live in the Matopo Hills. The majority 
of them are not black, but a chocolate brown, and 
some have features resembling white people. They 
are generally large, well-formed, and intelligent- 
looking. They are more or less rude in manner, 
uncouth in appearance, and wear little or no clothing 
except the loin cloth. This in the men usually con- 
sists of the skin of small animals, and among the 
women a short skirt of cloth or skins. Over the 
upper part of the body is sometimes thrown a larger 
piece of cloth. 

Among those that gathered about us that first day 
were some who had been quite active in the late 
rebellion. As we gained their confidence, they often 
pointed out to us the caves where they stored their 
grain, and where they themselves hid during that 
terrible time. A year of famine had followed the 



MATOPO MISSION 57 

war, and some had starved to death. At the time 
we entered upon the work there was a great deal of 
destitution all about us ; for some had nut yet been 
able to grow grain, and they had no flocks to fall 
back upon as they usually had in time of grain 
famine. 

Many of the white people in the country and in 
Bulawayo were continually talking about and ex- 
pecting another uprising. They looked for it to 
come from these Matopo Hill natives, and some 
sought to warn us not to venture into this, the 
enemy's stronghold. We, however, living among 
them from day to day, saw no cause for fear. 

The natives came to see us in large numbers. 
Sometimes fifty would appear in one day and crowd 
around the door of our tent, desiring to have a good 
view of the newcomers and their belongings. Many 
of them, especially the women and children, had 
never seen a white person before, or at most a white 
woman. Some three or four families had heard a 
little of Jesus, but the great majority knew absolute- 
ly nothing of the Gospel. 

Our ignorance, both of the language and the peo- 
ple, led to many blunders, both ludicrous and other- 
wise. The desire to help them and to show them 
that we were their friends caused them often to 
take advantage of our kindness. We soon learned 
that the African is not so much interested in the 
things that are for the good of his soul as in that 
which ministers to his body and appetite. It was 
so difficult to know just what to do at all times, for 
they were destitute of nearly everything which we 
considered necessary for comfort. They were con- 



58 



AFRICA 



firmed beggars, and the more they received the 
more they wanted. The missionary opens his Bible, 
and reads, " He that hath two coats, let him impart 
to him that hath none ; and he that hath meat let 
him do likewise " ; he then gets down on his knees 
and prays that the Lord might help the poor souls 




Hut Built by H. Frances Davidson and Alice Heise 
at Matopo. 

about him, but he often feels that his prayers do 
not ascend very high. What he needs to do is to 
get up and answer his own prayers. 

When we made a contract with them for work, 
and told them what pay they would receive, they 
always wanted more than the contract called for 
when the time came to settle. This is characteristic 
of the native in dealing with the white man. He 
sees that the other has clothing and many comforts 
of which he is deprived, hence concludes that the 
pockets of the white man are full of money. Socialist 



_j 



MATOPO MISSION 59 

that he naturally is, he thinks that the property 
should be equally distributed. It never occurs to 
him that his laziness and shiftlessness have much to 
do with his destitution. In fact, that thought does 
not generally occur to the missionary when he goes 
among the heathen for the first time, unless he is 
with some one who understands the situation. 

It is necessary to make the natives understand at 
times that the kindness of even the missionary has 
a limit. One day I was in the little straw shed 
which served as a kitchen, and was endeavoring to 
bake bread. As usual a number of people were 
about the door, and one man, taking advantage of 
my kindness, came in and sat down by the stove in 
front of the bake-oven door. He made no effort in 
the least to move away when I tried to look into the 
oven door. I bore it for some time, not wishing to 
be rude to him, and not knowing how to ask him in 
a polite way to move. Suddenly it dawned upon 
me that the proper native word was suka. So I 
made use of the word and told him to suka. He 
looked up in surprise and repeated the word to 
know if he had correctly understood, but he moved. 
Afterwards, in looking for the word in my diction- 
ary, I found that it was a word often in the 
mouth of the white man when addressing a native. 
It really meant a rough " Get out of this." So the 
look of mild reproach in the eyes of the native was 
accounted for. Some of the softness in the mission- 
ary, too, soon wears off as he is obliged to deal with 
the native from day to day. He finds that it is nec- 
essary to make the native understand their relation 
one to another as teacher and pupil. 



60 AFRICA 

Living in a tent during the dry and healthy sea- 
son is not unpleasant in such a climate, except that 
one suffers from the heat by day and the cold by 
night. 

Matopo Mission is located about 20^4° south lati- 
tude and 29° east longitude. It is 5,000 feet above 
sea level, so that, although it is within the tropics, 
it has a delightful and salubrious climate the entire 
year. From the middle of November to the middle 
of April is what is known as the rainy season. The 
rest of the year rain seldom falls. One cannot live 
in a tent all the year, but must provide better shelter 
for the rainy season. So hut building occupied the 
first few months. We had no wagon and no oxen, 
nothing but two little donkeys, which had been 
brought out with us from Bulawayo, and we did 
not know how to make the best use of native help. 
The poles used in the construction of the huts were 
cut and carried to the place of building by natives. 

As the manner of building was quite foreign to 
an American, Brother Engle took occasion to exam- 
ine other huts, built by Europeans, so that he was 
enabled to build very good ones for the mission. He 
was alone and, to make the work lighter, we women 
assisted, and used hammer, saw, and trowel, brought 
stones for building chimneys, raked grass, and as- 
sisted in thatching. The huts are built somewhat as 
follows: 

A trench about fifteen inches deep is dug the size 
and shape of the desired hut. In this are placed, 
near together, poles from the forest, space being 
allowed for doors and windows and sometimes for 
fireplace. The poles are cut out so as to extend 



MATOPO MISSION 61 

about eight feet above ground. Large ones are 
sawed lengthwise for door posts and window frames. 
Some flexible poles are nailed around the top and 
about halfway up the side, so that the walls of the 
hut are firmly fastened together. Longer poles are 
then used as rafters, these being firmly fastened to 
the walls and nailed together at the top. Small, 
flexible ones are also used as lath to fasten the 
rafters together and upon which to tie the grass in 
thatching. The grass used for this purpose grows 
in abundance among these rocks, and sometimes 
reaches the height of eight feet. The women cut 
this and bring it in bundles, glad to exchange it for 
a little salt. It is first combed by means of spikes 
driven through a board. It is then divided into 
small bundles ; the lower ends being placed evenly 
together, and the bundles tied closely together on 
the lath with tarred rope. The next layer is placed 
over this like shingles, so as to cover the place of 
tying. When completed the thickness of grass on 
the eaves of the roof is from four to ten inches. 
Then follows the plastering. The mud or plaster is 
made from earth which had been worked over by 
white ants. This, pounded fine and mixed with 
water, makes an excellent plaster, and when placed 
on the walls it soon dries and becomes very hard. 
The native women put this on the outside with their 
hands, as the walls are too uneven to allow the use 
of a trowel. Similar earth, mixed with sand, is used 
as mortar in building with brick and stone. The 
floors also are of this earth pounded hard and pol- 
ished. 

The windows have either small panes of glass 



62 AFRICA 

or muslin stretched on a frame, and the doors 
boast of imported timber brought from Bulawayo. 
Each hut is about as large as an average-sized room. 
It is difficult to make them larger on acount of the 
scarcity of suitable material in this part of the 
country. The walls are whitewashed on the inside, 
and some have a white muslin ceiling. Much of the 
furniture is of our own manufacture and is made of 
boxes or of native poles draped with calico. 

When completed the rooms looked quite cozy 
and comfortable, so that we felt thankful for such 
pleasant homes in connection with our work. The 
first year there were four of such huts built, kitchen, 
dining-hut, and two sleeping-rooms. 

Dealing with the natives while building these was 
not always easy. Sometimes difficulties arose 
through not being able to make the natives under- 
stand, so that we could not always place the blame 
on them. When grass was wanted for the thatch- 
ing a contract was entered into with one of the head- 
men to furnish one hundred bundles for five shillings 
($1.20). The grass was brought until there was 
about half the specified amount, then the pay was 
demanded. This was of course refused. The man 
brought a little more and then he stoutly affirmed 
that he had fulfilled his part of the contract. After 
considerable delay and, being harassed by the head- 
man, we finally paid him. After all, he may have 
been honest in the affair and a mistake may have 
been made in the beginning; for the word for one 
hundred and that for much were similar except in 
the prefix. He may have understood that he was 
to bring much grass, and he certainly did that. 



MATOPO MISSION 



63 



Again, when the first hut was to be plastered, 
arrangements were made with certain women to 
plaster it for a stated amount. They brought a 
number of others along to help them plaster; and 
when pay day came, the total amount of pay de- 
manded was about double the original agreement. 
There was such a noisy, unpleasant demonstration 




Matopo Mission — March, 1899. 

that day, that we learned our lesson, and we were 
very careful so to arrange matters that the difficulty 
would not occur again. 

Our living at the time was of the simplest. Near- 
ly all kinds of eatables could be procured in Bula- 
wayo ; but they were very expensive, and there was 
no way of bringing them out except by native car- 
riers, or by trusting to the friendly assistance of the 



64 AFRICA 

white traders at Fort Usher. Sometimes it fell to 
the Elder's lot to walk the thirty miles to Bulawayo 
in order to purchase supplies. There was no need, 
however, for us to do, like many a missionary in 
the wilds of Africa has done, deprive ourselves of 
wheat bread and ordinary groceries. These we al- 
ways had, but we were more economical in their 
use than we would have been at home. We had no 
milk, except tinned milk, no butter, and very little 
meat, and no gun to procure game. But we had 
chicken and could occasionally procure meat from 
the natives. Of course at first there were no vege- 
tables to be had, except such as we could at times 
procure from the natives — corn, sweet potatoes, 
pumpkins, and peanuts, but these were scarce. 

Elder Engle, alive to the value of the soil and the 
need of wholesome food, at once secured fruit trees 
and set them out, including a number of orange 
trees. He also bought a small plow and with the 
two donkeys broke land and planted vegetables. 
One native, who continually stood by us during 
those early days, was Mapipa, our nearest neighbor. 
He was a powerfully-built Matabele and reminded 
one of the giant of Gath ; for he had six fingers on 
each hand and six toes on each foot. He had been 
quite active in the Rebellion and was wounded in 
one of the battles. He could always be depended 
upon in work, and Brother Engle greatly appreciat- 
ed his assistance. 

Perhaps some one who reads these lines may 
wonder whether building, farming, and such man- 
ual labor is missionary work. Did not the Great 
Missionary, according to all accounts — I say it in 



MATOPO MISSION 65 

all reverence — take an apprenticeship in the carpen- 
ter's shop where He " increased in wisdom and 
stature and in favor with God and man "? Did not 
the Apostle Paul, undoubtedly the greatest of His 
followers, unite tent-making with his missionary 
work? Should then we, such feeble imitations, be- 
little manual labor, even though it falls to our lot 
as missionaries? Any one going to the mission field 
should not, if he is to be successful, decide in his 
own mind that he is going to do certain things, he 
should be willing to do whatever the Lord gives him 
to do, of spiritual, intellectual, or physical labors. 
There are so many sides to missionary work, and 
who can tell which will result in the greatest good? 
To preach Christ and lift Him up that others may 
see and accept Him is undoubtedly the central 
thought of the Great Commission. The ways of 
exalting Him, however, are so many and so various. 
Christ must be lived among the people before He 
can in truth be preached to them. The heathen of 
Africa cannot read the Bible, but they can and do 
continually read the lives of those sent among them. 
If these do not correspond to the Word read and 
preached among them, they are keen to discern and 
judge accordingly. If the Christ-life is lived before 
their eyes, day by day, many will eventually yield 
their hearts to Him, even though they may for a 
time resist. 



i 



CHAPTER SIX 

Educational and Evangelistic Work 

THE natives were eager to see inside the new 
huts. When they had an opportunity to look 
at the whitewashed walls and the homemade 
furniture, they stood spellbound, and the first word 
that broke from their lips was " Muehle" (pretty). 

They had another and more personal interest in 
seeing the huts completed. They had been told 
that, as soon as the goods were moved out of the 
tent, school would be opened. Both large and small 
were exceedingly eager to learn, or at least they 
thought so. They had never seen books, and writ- 
ing was like magic to them. To put down some 
characters on paper and from those to spell out their 
names when they next visited the mission was little 
less than witchcraft. Both old and young like to 
be known. They are pleased if their missionary 
pronounces their name and seems to know them 
when they come a second time. 

School opened October 11. The first boy to 
come bright and early was Matshuba, together with 
. two of Mapita's girls. This little boy, then about 
thirteen years old, had been a very interested spec- 
tator of all that occurred from the time the mission 
opened. Day after day he would be on hand, and 
his bright eyes and active mind took knowledge of 
everything that was said or done. His father, 
66 



MATOPO MISSION 67 

Mpisa, then dead, had been one of the most trusted 
witch doctors of the King, and had been held in 
great respect by all of the natives in that part of the 
country. This boy was very eager for school, and 
the first morning he and Mapita's girls begged us 
to allow only the Matabele to attend school, and 
not the Amahole, or subject races. This furnished 
an excellent opportunity of teaching them that God 
is no Respecter of persons. 

The first morning of school twelve bright-looking 
boys and girls entered the tent and sat down on the 
floor, curious to know what school was like. It 
was a momentous time. It was the beginning of a 
work the result of which human eye could not fore- 
see. How the teacher, who had often stood before 
a far larger and more inspiring-looking school in a 
civilized land, trembled as she stood there before 
those twelve little savages in the heart of Africa ! 
She knew that those bright eyes were reading her 
thoughts, and realized that she came so far short 
of the " measure of the stature of the fullness of 
Christ." The special burden of the prayer that 
morning was that, as these dear souls learned to 
read the Word, the Light might enter their hearts 
and they yield themselves to God. 

The second day eight more were enrolled, and the 
third day fourteen, and by the end of the month 
there were forty in all. Sister Heise and I were 
kept busy during school hours as the pupils were 
taught to sew as well as to read and write. Cleanli- 
ness is a rare virtue with them, so they were told to 
wash before coming to school. As new ones entered 
the school the admonition was repeated, with the 



68 AFRICA 

statement that we wash every morning. Mapita's 
little daughter, Sibongamanzi, with shining black 
face, which showed that she had been heeding the 
command, looked up brightly and said, " Yes, but 
you are white and we are black." She evidently had 
thought that, if she washed every morning, she too 
would become white, but she had concluded it to be 
a hopeless task. Mr. Anderson said that some of 
their children thought that if they ate the food of 
white people, they too would become white. 

This, our first schoolroom, was very primitive. It 
consisted of a tent 16 x 16 feet. In front there was 
a box which served as a teachers' desk and as a re- 
ceptacle for slates, pencils, paper, books, and sew- 
ing. Other boxes served for teachers' chairs. There 
were two easels made of poles; one supported the 
blackboard and the other the charts. The black- 
board consisted of a few small boards nailed to- 
gether and painted black, and the charts were of 
cardboard, 18 x 24 inches in size. There were ten 
of them printed on both sides with syllables, and 
Tebele words and sentences. These had been print- 
ed by homemade stencils and pen, and had occupied 
our leisure time while we were hut-building. The 
floor -of the tent was covered with straw, and the 
pupils sat on this without seats or desks. They 
knew nothing of the comforts of the schoolroom in 
civilized lands and thought they were well supplied. 

Since we had no primer at the time, the Gospel of 
St. John was given to them as a textbook when they 
had finished the charts. To enable them to read 
and understand the Word of God was the aim of 
the school work and the Bible the Textbook 



MATOPO MISSION 69 

throughout. After they had learned to write the 
letters of the alphabet, their copy usually was a 
verse from the Scriptures. They were also taught 
to memorize certain portions in connection with the 
daily worship, and hymn singing. 

The pupils compare very favorably with white 
children in their ability to learn, but few of them 
come regularly to school. To most of them school 
is just a side issue, some place to go when there is 
nothing else to be done. Some have an idea that 
they can learn to read in about a month, and when 
they find that it requires months of weary, patient 
effort at meaningless characters, they give up in 
despair. Others are ridiculed by the older people 
for throwing away their time at such useless work ; 
" There is no money, no beer, no food in it and they 
are dunces to go." 

Again, some are grown, and being past the age 
when mental effort is easy, they soon become dis- 
couraged. One big fellow stumbled along until he 
had mastered the chart after a fashion. Then, to 
his delight, he was given the Gospel of St. John to 
read. Day after day he struggled along over the, to 
him, meaningless syllables and words. Still he 
persevered until it gradually dawned upon him that 
the printed page meant something. He looked up 
one day with a most delighted expression on his 
face and exclaimed, " This book is talking to me ! " 

The native cannot be said to be very persevering, 
owing to the fact that all his life, in his untaught 
state, he goes on the principle that the world owes 
him a living. His needs are few and often they are 
supplied by nature. When he comes up against a 



70 AFRICA 

difficult problem of any sort, his usual answer is, 
" It will not consent." For this reason arithmetic is 
always difficult for him and his progress in it is 
very slow. One day I was endeavoring to show a 
girl how to make the letter b. After a vain effort to 
make it properly, she exclaimed, "My pencil will 
not consent to slide that way." 

The sewing hour probably was the most interesting 
time to all. They expected to receive the garments 
after they had finished sewing them and had worked 
for the cloth with which they were made. The 
dearest wish of their hearts was to have a garment 
to put on. And that is not strange, for in the cool 
morning air they come shivering, and at noon the 
hot sun burns their bodies. We might have made the 
garments and donated them ; but that would not 
teach them to work and would have done them more 
harm than good. A native always appreciates most 
that upon which he has bestowed labor or money ; 
so both boys and girls learned to sew. It was rather 
amusing to see them, in the absence of other gar- 
ments to which they might pin their sewing, place it 
between their toes. It was also interesting to watch 
the different expressions when at last the garments 
were finished and they could clothe themselves. 

Matshuba put on his suit ; then, folding his hands, 
said in a quiet and contented manner, " Now I am 
not cold any more." Amuzeze, when he had fin- 
ished his garments, put them on, and taking a good 
look at himself stepped off as proudly as if he 
owned a large estate. Sibongamanzi kept her dress 
for Sunday. At home she would carefully fold it, 



MATOPO MISSION 71 

and putting it in an earthen jar cover it up for safe 
keeping. 

In the meantime services on Sunday had not been 
neglected. At the opening of the work none of the 
missionaries could speak the language, but they 
could read it after a fashion. So, from the very first 
Sunday after the work opened, endeavors were made 
to instill into the minds of the natives that one day 
out of seven was a day of rest and worship. To 
them all days were alike — workdays, rest days, or 
carousal days, as they chose to spend them. Sad to 
say that even the few that went to work for the 
white man saw little or no difference between the 
days of the week. It falls to the lot of the mission- 
ary to teach the significance of the fourth command- 
ment as well as the rest of the decalogue. On Sun- 
day the people were invited to assemble under the 
shade of a friendly tree, and a portion of the Scrip- 
tures was read to them and hymns sung. They are 
great lovers of music, so that in itself was an at- 
traction. The first congregation was very small. 
Sometimes there would be only Mapita and his fam- 
ily, five or six in number. As the nature of the 
meetings began to dawn on the native mind, others 
would assemble with us, but in the first few months, 
or until the opening of school in October, not more 
than twenty-five congregated at one time. 

Acquiring the language is always a tedious, 
though important, part of foreign missionary work. 
The missionary sees the natives about him. day by 
day, and longs to tell them something of Jesus and 
His love, but is unable to do so, especially if he be a 
pioneer in the work and without an interpreter as 



72 AFRICA 

we were. We had been endeavoring to study the 
language from the Zulu books on hand, but on com- 
ing face to face with the natives it was discovered 
that the set phrases we had acquired seemed as un- 
intelligible to them as their words were to us. There 
were several reasons for this. One was that we had 
not learned the proper pronunciation and accent, 
and another was that their dialect differed some- 
what from the Zulu, which we had been endeavoring 
to learn. Another, and far weightier reason, and one 
which, to our sorrow, we did not discover until 
some time afterwards, was that some natives did 
not speak the correct language to us. Those who 
had been accustomed to speaking to the Europeans 
had invented a jargon of their own, which they 
seemed to think especially adapted to the mental 
capacity of white people. This medium of commu- 
nication is known as " kitchen Kafir." 

It consists of a small vocabulary, chiefly of Zulu 
words, simplified and divested of all inflections — 
and grammar, it might be said. This dialect, which 
is especially distasteful to linguists, is invariably 
used by many natives in addressing white people 
for the first time. It is the common language of 
the kitchen and the shops, between master or mis- 
tress and their native servants. It has also of later 
years spread much among the natives themselves 
where various tribes meet and converse. Its use 
has become so general over South Africa, and even 
in parts of South Central Africa, that it has, not 
inaptly, been termed the " Esperanto of South Afri- 
ca." Undoubtedly it lacks much of the elegance 
of the real Esperanto, but is in daily use by more 






MATOPO MISSION 73 

people. Not only is " kitchen Kafir " spoken be- 
tween whites and blacks and between blacks them- 
selves, but sometimes, when a common language 
fails, something akin to this is used between even 
the white people. 

Not so many of the natives in the hills had come 
into contact with Europeans before our coming 
among them, yet there was sufficient " kitchen Ka- 
fir " among them to confuse the newcomers and 
make it necessary in after years to junlearn many of 
the things they first acquired. 

Learning the language is trying, especially with- 
out a teacher, and many blunders and misunder- 
stands occur; but it is not the least useful of mis- 
sionary experiences. People on first coming into 
contact with raw heathendom are seldom capable of 
doing much preaching to them in such a manner 
that the native can understand and appreciate. 

While one is learning the language, he is also 
learning to know the native himself, his surround- 
ings, and modes of thought. By the time one is able 
to converse with the native, he also knows better 
what to say to him. One thing, however, it is al- 
ways safe to do from the time the missionary enters 
the field of labor; he may always read the Word, if 
he has it in the language. The unadorned Word is 
always safe and suits all conditions of men. 

Gradually we learned to speak the language, sen- 
tence by sentence. How our hearts burned within 
us those days to be able to tell the story of Christ 
and His love! Usually the dull, darkened look on 
the faces of the few present would cause the speaker 
to feel that he had not been understood, or that there 



74 AFRICA 

had been no answering response. Then occasionally 
a dusky face would light up, as if a ray of light had 
penetrated a darkened corner, and the speaker 
would be encouraged to renewed efforts to make the 
subject plain. Thus, Sunday after Sunday, the 
effort would be renewed. 

It was not only on that day, however, that some 
of the older ones heard the Word read and an at- 
tempt at explanation given. Morning and evening 
worship was held in the native language, and often 
a larger number, in those early days, gathered about 
us on workdays than on Sunday. The door was 
always open and everyone was invited to enter at 
time of prayer. After school opened, and it became 
better known which day was Sunday, and that the 
services were held in the tent, the attendance grad- 
ually increased. 

Our feelings, as written at the time, were some- 
what as follows : 

We realize more fully every day that much wisdom 
and grace is needed in dealing with this people. If we 
did not have such confidence in our Great Leader, we 
might at times be discouraged, for the enemy of souls is 
strong here in Africa and human nature is alike the world 
over. When the truth is driven home to their hearts, they 
are" quite ready to excuse themselves. Thus we find it 
necessary to get down lower and lower at the feet of 
Jesus and let Him fill us continually with all the fulness 
of His love and Spirit, that there may be no lack in us. 

In his own eyes the pagan African is always a 
good, innocent sort of person. He has done no 
wrong, has committed no sin, hence has no need of 
forgiveness. One of the first requisites seems to be 
instilling into his mind a knowledge of God and His 






MATOPO MISSION 75 

attributes. This must be " precept upon precept," 
" line upon line," " here a little and there a little." 
Time after time this thought of God must be reit- 
erated until it is burned into the consciousness of 
the hearers. We are told of one missionary who, 
for the first two years, took as his text, Sabbath 
after Sabbath, " God is." And it would seem to be a 
wise course to pursue. The conception of a Su- 
preme Being Who is holy, omnipotent, omniscient, 
and omnipresent, and cannot look upon sin with 
any degree of allowance, to Whom all must render 
an account, needs to be indelibly impressed on the 
native mind. Until they realize that " all have 
sinned and come short of the glory of God," it 
seems useless to preach Christ as a Savior to them. 
Missionaries soon realize that they cannot sit 
down and wait for the people to come to them. 
They must go out into the streets and lanes of their 
villages and "into the highways and hedges and 
compel them to come in." Kraal-visiting forms a 
very important part of the Gospel work. Sister 
Heise and myself went among them as much as 
possible. We went chiefly on foot, and many miles 
were traveled in all kinds of weather, so that the 
people might be instructed in the things of God. At 
first these visits could be little more than a friendly 
call and the speaking of a few broken sentences. 
These wild children of nature were quick to respond 
to the interest that prompted the visits, and would 
always welcome the visitors. As soon as we were 
within sight the children would come to meet us 
and pilot us to their parents. When we left they 
would again accompany us a little distance, per- 



76 AFRICA 

haps to the next kraal. Who shall say but that 
these early journeys, in which little of the Gospel 
was given, was not as fruitful of results for God as 
later ones? Back of those black exteriors are hu- 
man hearts waiting to be touched by the finger of 
love and human sympathy, ready to imbibe the milk 
of human kindness. They know something of the 
natural love of parent to child, and vice versa; but 
they need to realize that there is such a thing as 
disinterested love in their welfare, and by this 
means be led to realize in some little measure the 
wonderful love of God. In this, thank God, we had 
no need to simulate love. A spark of the Divine 
love for them had entered our hearts before we even 
set foot on Africa's shores. 

It is difficult to understand the expression of a 
missionary who visited Matopo some time after the 
work was started, and who in his own field of labor 
seemed to have been used of the Lord. He said 
one day: "I cannot say that I love these people. 
I do not love that child," pointing to a little girl at 
some distance in front of him, " but I realize that 
Christ loves them and desires them to be saved, 
hence my work among them." This seemingly cold 
sense of duty may answer. If, however, the pagan 
African once realizes that disinterested love prompts 
our treatment of him, he is generally most pliable 
and teachable. Without something of the Divine 
love work among them must be hard indeed, for 
there are so many trying things to be met with day 
by day. 

After a time it was discovered that the donkeys 
might be made use of in kraal visiting. I well re- 



MATOPO MISSION 77 

member our first experience at this mode of travel. 
We had no saddles, so we placed blankets on the 
backs of the donkeys and fastened them with sur- 
cingles of our own manufacture. Sister Heise was 
an expert rider, while I was quite the reverse. Our 
first trip was to a kraal about five miles distant, the 
home of the chief, Hluganisa. Two boys, Matshuba 
and Sihlaba, accompanied us as guides. All went 
well on the trip over. We were very kindly received 
by the people and afforded an opportunity to give 
them the Gospel. The village was up among the 
rocks, and as donkeys are expert climbers they 
had no difficulty in making the ascent, or descent, 
either, but on the return journey I could not keep 
my place, and was sent over the donkey's head on to 
the ground. My companion, when she saw that no 
harm was done, rather considered the accident as a 
good joke, and I joined in the laugh at my own ex- 
pense. The boys failed to see any fun in it, and 
seemed greatly to resent the laughter. 

Some time after this we made another journey of 
about the same distance in the opposite direction. 
The reason for this second visit was as follows: 
Among our pupils was a nice, modest-looking girl 
about twelve years of age. She belonged to Mapita's 
family, and seemed to be an affectionate and well- 
behaved child. She was absent from school for a 
few days, and on inquiring we learned that she had 
gone to the home of her intended husband. Greatly 
shocked, we made further inquiry, and were told 
that Mapita had sold her to a man who had already 
one wife, and that he lived about five miles away. 
It was our first experience with heathen marriage, 



78 AFRICA 

and we determined to hunt her up and if possible 
release her. We looked upon this child as a slave 
or prisoner. 

Taking the donkeys and our two boys, we again 
started out one morning. The path was not fa- 
miliar, even to our guides. It wound around among 
the rocks and we were in great danger of being lost. 
Immense boulders were piled up in all sorts of fan- 
tastic shapes, and a white person could easily be lost 
among the hills and perhaps never find his way 
out, but the native will always find his way. Once 
we found ourselves on the top of a nearly perpen- 
dicular rock, and dismounting reached the bottom 
only with great difficulty. The boys inquired the 
way of a native in his garden, but he regarded us 
with suspicion and remained silent. Since the close 
of the rebellion, when the natives hid themselves 
among these rocks, they have been very suspicious 
of white people, for fear some one may desire to cap- 
ture them. It was only after repeated assurances 
by the boys that we were missionaries, and their 
friends, that he consented to direct us. 

Finally we reached the home of Buka, the man 
who had taken little Lomanzwana. His kraal was 
situated up among the rocks in one of nature's for- 
tresses. Here, in this desolate place, in the midst 
of densest heathendom, was the girl. Her husband 
was a cripple and very pagan looking. But what 
could we do amid such rock-bound customs as held 
these people? Nothing. With hearts lifted to the 
Lord in prayer we tried to point them to the Lamb 
of God. The man regarded us with wild-looking 
eyes, and listened with seemingly dull, uncompre- 



MATOPO MISSION 79 

hending ears to our stammering tongues. When he 
was asked a question, he looked at those about him 
and wanted to know what sort of an answer the 
missionary desired ; then he would answer accord- 
ingly. In another hut was a very old woman, the 
mother of Buka, who was an imbecile and was fed 
like an animal. We retraced our steps with heavy 
hearts, but for many a day the memory of that visit 
haunted us. 

As for the girl, the man did not pay sufficiently 
promptly to satisfy Mapita, so he finally took her 
home. Later she was sold to a man who paid a 
large sum. Here they quarreled and the girl re- 
turned home, and the pay had to be given back. It 
is needless to say that the girl was thoroughly de- 
moralized by this time. She was finally disposed of 
to another man. 

In February, 1899, Matshuba came to stay at the 
mission and attend school. Ever since the mission 
had opened he had been a great help to us in ac- 
quiring the language, and as he could understand 
us more readily, he often explained our meaning to 
others. He knew too just how many Zulu words 
were in our vocabulary, and in speaking to us he 
adapted himself to our limited understanding. He 
also gradually acquired the English. He made rapid 
progress in school ; and as the Light came to him he 
accepted it. He did not do this all at one bound, 
but, as it were, according to his capacity to under- 
stand the meaning of the Atonement and kindred 
themes. The day came when he saw himself a great 
sinner, and he repented in truth. He was the only 
boy staying at the mission for a time, so that many 



80 AFRICA 

and various duties fell to his lot. These he per- 
formed faithfully, except that he was somewhat 
careless in herding the donkeys, and lost them. 

One evening he came to the door of our hut in 
great perplexity and said that he would like to have 
a talk. He came and sat down on the hearthstone, 
then said, " I prayed this morning, but the donkeys 
were lost at any rate." By his language he evident- 
ly thought that if he prayed the Lord would do the 
watching. This gave us an opportunity of telling 
of David, the faithful shepherd boy, and of the 
" Great Shepherd," who told us to both " watch and 
pray." The boy then told something of his early 
life. Among other things he said : 

" Father used to tell me to go and watch the gar- 
dens so that the animals would not come and take 
our food. I did not watch well and the animals de- 
stroyed the crops and father was grieved." 

"Are you sorry now that you did not obey? " 

" Oh ! yes, indeed," was the reply. " If I might 
live that time over again, I would be a better boy." 

He continued, " When father was sick they said 
he was bewitched. So they tried to find out who 
had bewitched him. Once, before he died, he said 
that he would like to see a missionary. Umfundisi 
[Missionary] Engle should have come sooner, be- 
fore father died." 

" Matshuba, did you ever hear of Jesus before we 
came? " 

" Yes, Missus," he replied, " I heard His Name 
once, and I wanted my mother to go where there 
was a missionary; then the Lord sent you." 

Here was this dear soul, groping in the night and 



MATOPO MISSION 81 

reaching out for something better than he had 
known, he knew not what. When the Light comes 
to him he is ready to accept it. There are many- 
other such boys, and girls too, all over Africa, who 
are waiting for some one to bring them the Light. 
Is it you? There are many other old men to whom 
the message will come too late unless some one 
makes haste and brings it. 

Matshuba had many hard battles to fight, and 
often have we heard him out among the rocks pray- 
ing for help and victory. I well remember the first 
day on which he prayed openly before the school. 
Almost the hush of death fell upon all, for it was a 
new era to them. One of their number had learned 
to pray like the missionaries. There was no hut at 
first for him to sleep in, so he lay in the tent. One 
morning he came out, his face all aglow. He said, 
" I saw Jesus last night. He came and stood before 
me. He was tall and bright looking." 

Some months after he came, another boy, Te- 
bengo, came to stay at the mission.- He, too, had 
been attending school and desired to be a Christian. 
Bright, impulsive, but easily misled, in his instabil- 
ity he was just the opposite of the more steadfast 
Matshuba. There were also others of the school- 
boys who were stepping out into the light, and 
among these were Kelenki and Siyaya, who were 
Mashona people. Their home seemed more heath- 
enish than some of the others, but these boys, with 
others from their kraal, appeared earnest in the 
service of the Master. 

A Sunday-school was also opened this first year 
and proved quite interesting to the younger ones 



82 AFRICA 

On the first Chrismas Day the natives were invited 
for services and about ninety came — the largest 
number up to that time. After the services they 
were invited to a large, unfinished hut, and all were 
treated to bread and tea and some salt. Father and 
Mother Engle sat down among them and partook 
of bread and tea with them. This greatly delighted 
all, and it was just as much of a pleasure to our 
elder and wife, who always enjoyed mingling with 
the people. The rest of us saw that all were served. 
The people were very thankful for the treat, and 
all expressed their gratitude in a forcible manner. 



CHAPTER SEVEN 
Reinforcements, and Progress of the Work 

THE various departments of the mission were 
gradually enlarging, and as the work in- 
creased the burden fell more and more heav- 
ily upon Elder Engle. It will be remembered that 
efforts were made to secure an assistant for him 
before we left America, but without success. In 
April, 1899, however, we gladly welcomed into our 
midst three new missionaries from America. These 
were Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Cress and Mr. Isaac 
Lehman. They were able and consecrated messen- 
gers, and a valuable addition to the work. With 
them came also several large boxes of clothing, 
cloth for the sewing school, and other goods which 
had been donated for the mission. About this time 
also the Board sent out some farm implements, a 
large Studebaker wagon, a two-seated spring wag- 
on, and a bell for calling the people to services. 
More donkeys had already been purchased by Elder 
Engle, so that the question of traveling, and of 
bringing out supplies from Bulawayo, was most 
satisfactorily settled. 

Shortly after this we also had the pleasure of wel- 
coming Mr. and Mrs. Van Blunk, of the Christian 
Holiness Association. These had come to make 
their headquarters near us and engage in evangel- 
istic work. We had now quite a little company of 
83 



84 AFRICA 

Christian workers — nine in number — and had very- 
inspiring and encouraging English services, as well 
as those in the native tongue. Although Brother 
Van Blunks were under a different Board and their 
work was in a measure separate from the rest, yet 
they were spiritual and consecrated missionaries 
and of great assistance in exalting Christ among the 
people. 

On account of the large increase in the number of 
workers, it was necessary also to enlarge our dwell- 
ing place. During this season five new huts were 
erected, including those for the natives, making the 
mission premises look like a little village. A build- 
ing for church services and school was also greatly 
needed. During the entire rainy season these had 
been held in the tent, which was proving inadequate 
for the growing congregation. So Brethren Engle 
and Lehman, with the assistance of the natives, 
erected a very respectable looking church building 
of poles and mud, 16 x 30 feet. It was furnished 
with plank seats and good tables, and Brother Van 
Blunk donated glass for windows. Long poles of 
native timber were then secured and a framework 
was made for the bell. This being hoisted and 
fastened in place could be heard at many of the 
kraals. It also assisted in informing the people of 
the Sabbath. 

At sunset on Saturday evening it was rung a long 
time to inform the people that the morrow was the 
Sabbath, and that they should lay aside their work 
and prepare for rest and service. Later in the work 
some of us agreed to take that time for secret prayer 
in behalf of the people, that the Lord might incline 



MATOPO MISSION 85 

their hearts to come to the house of the Lord. 
After there were a number of native Christians, 
they too joined us in prayer, each going to his 
private place. One evening we were greatly im- 
pressed to see Mazwi, the boy who was ringing 
slowly, down on his knees, as if, while he was 
calling the people to prepare for worship on the 
morrow, he was also calling upon God to persuade 
them to come. We were often made to feel too 
that the Lord especially honored some of those 
prayers. 

The sight of so many people about us being des- 
titute of clothing had greatly touched Brother En- 
gle's heart, and he had written to America about it. 
The result was a large box of clothing generously 
donated. He gave Qach of the headmen and the 
chief a shirt and a pair of trousers, and told them to 
come to services. They seemed to be, and no doubt 
were, very grateful for the favor bestowed, and a 
very few made good use of the garments. Others 
came once or twice clothed, and then nothing more 
was seen of them or their clothing. In less than a 
year these latter ones came again and asked for 
clothes, stating that they had nothing to wear to 
church. It is needless to say that by this time the 
missionaries had learned their lesson, and those de- 
siring to be clothed had to work for it. A number 
did come and work for clothing and were well paid, 
but what they did with the clothing was often a 
mystery. Shirts they generally liked and appre- 
ciated, and sometimes the other garments would be 
sewed up in a wonderful manner and do duty for a 
shirt or coat, or they would answer for a grain bag. 



86 AFRICA 

Day by day we were learning the nature of the 
people about us, and were obliged to adjust our- 
selves to our changed understanding. They are all 
children and must be dealt with accordingly. The 
missionary soon finds that he not only needs 
much of the love that " never faileth," but also a 
large supply of patience continually in his work. 
He must also be firm in his dealings with the natives 
and make them know their place. They will respect 
him all the more if he does this in the proper spirit. 
Old children are more difficult to handle than young 
ones, as they are more unreasonable and more set 
in their ways. They generally do not feel under any 
obligations to keep their promises to you, but they 
fully expect you to keep yours to them, otherwise 
they will lose confidence in you. 

When one first goes to the heathen and sees them 
in their ignorance and superstition, seemingly lack- 
ing everything to make them comfortable, he is led 
to speak much of Christ and His love, thus seeking 
to win them. They begin to say within themselves, 
" Well, if He loves us, He will do us no harm, so we 
need not trouble ourselves about Him," and they 
continue, as vigorously as ever, to seek to appease 
the malevolent spirits, who they think are seeking 
to harm them. Then the 'missionary thinks he 
should pursue another course. He soon becomes 
somewhat discouraged and disgusted with their in- 
difference and hypocrisy, and is often led to the 
opposite extreme, and dwells much on hell and con- 
demnation, which tends to harden his hearers. Fi- 
nally he reaches a golden mean. He realizes that 
these poor souls about him have had no opportunity 



MATOPO MISSION 



87 



of rising above their degrading surroundings, and 
he must take them as they are, and seek by the 
ability which God giveth to live the Christ life 
among them and lift them to a higher plane of liv- 
ing. 

The Sunday-school had been chiefly for the 
younger ones, but we concluded to add a class for 




Matopo Mission Church in 1S99. Built by Elder Jesse Engle. 

the older people. This was greatly appreciated by 
some of them, especially Mapita. It began with few 
in number; but as time passed it gradually in- 
creased in attendance and interest. Mapita seemed 
so eager to learn in those days, and would often look 
with longing eyes into the Kingdom, and the very 
joy of the Lord would seem to be reflected in his 
face, but he was afraid to step over. He gained a 



88 AFRICA 

great deal of knowledge of the Scriptures too, and 
he was not slow to tell other people. 

All the services were more or less informal, and 
any one was free to ask questions ; yet in the Sab- 
bath-school class many felt more at home and often 
expressed themselves freely in regard to the diffi- 
culties in the way of their becoming Christians. One 
day, after we had explained the lesson, Nyuka, a 
witch doctor, said: 

" I believe all you say, and that Christ is able to 
save us, but what can I do? My hands are tied. I 
have five wives." 

Nothing had been said about a plurality of wives, 
but intuitively he realized that it was a formidable 
obstacle in his way. We could only tell him that if 
he really reached the place where he desired to be 
saved, the Lord would open the way for him. 

As question after question arose in the class, the 
answer often given would be to open the Bible and 
read a portion suitable for the question. One day, 
after this had been done several times, one of the 
men exclaimed, " It is no use to argue any more ; that 
Book knows everything." The difficulty generally 
was that, although they believed the Word, they 
were not willing to take the Way. The darkness 
seemed too dense, the effort required was too great, 
the transformation was too absolute for these old 
people, rocked in the cradle of paganism for gener- 
ations. It is the younger generation that are chiefly 
benefited by the mission work. Sometimes some of 
the others, seeing this, will say, " I am too old ; you 
should have come sooner." 

Then again the missionary sometimes meets with 



MATOPO MISSION 89 

a Caleb or a Joshua. He receives some encourage- 
ment, from even the old. Allow me to give an ac- 
count of a visit made at this time: 

We are going to visit an old queen. It is not our 
first visit to her, but we are informed that she is ill 
at present and her friends are fearful that she might 
die, as she is very, very old. Sisters Heise, Cress, 
and myself are going. We carry a little bread, 
cocoa, and a New Testament. She is living at the 
kraal of Mapita, our faithful helper. He also has 
been sick with fever, but he is somewhat better to- 
day, and is sitting out of doors by the fire, where his 
wife and children are preparing their evening meal. 
This consists of peanut gravy, kafir-corn porridge, 
and pumpkin. After greeting these, we pass on to 
the hut where the queen lies. We sit down on the 
ground, so that we may look into the little opening 
which serves as doorway. The woman in charge 
invites us to enter, and we crawl into the hut. In 
the center of the hut is a fire with four large stones 
around it ; the smoke finding its way into our eyes 
or out through the straw roof, for there is no chim- 
ney and no window. Near this fireplace lies the 
poor old queen. Her bed consists of a large hide 
spread on the hard, polished earthen floor, and a 
block of wood serves for a pillow. A blanket is 
thrown over her body. We offer the cocoa, which 
the sick one gratefully accepts, but the bread is re- 
fused. We then go to her side and try to point her 
to the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of 
the world, and tell her of the home prepared for all 
those who love God. She tries to listen, and some- 
times responds to the question asked. Of course 



90 AFRICA 

our knowledge of the language is still imperfect, and 
it is more difficult for the old to understand than 
for the young. When the sick one does not fully 
comprehend, the nurse, who is Matshuba's mother, 
explains. Sitting here by this old woman, and see- 
ing her stretch out her thin hands to the warm 
Stones at the fire, we forget that vermin surrounds 
us or that our clothes might become soiled ; our 
hearts only overflow with a desire to let a flood of 
light into the soul of the poor one before us. As 
the talk- continues she does seem to grasp some of 
the spiritual truths, and she gives a more ready 
assent to the questions asked : 

" Do you desire us to pray for you? " 

" Oh ! yes," she exclaimed with feeling. " I al- 
ways love to have you pray to Jesus for me." 

Kneeling there we offer prayers that the Lord 
would speak to this dear soul and prepare her to 
meet Him. Her farewell word and clinging clasp 
of the hand on our departure cause us to feel that 
light is breaking, and that she, in her feeble way, is, 
by faith, taking hold of Christ. Once before, when 
we visited her, she too offered up her feeble petition. 

We emerge from the hut and stop a few minutes 
to speak with Mapita and his family, and offer up a 
word of prayer. The sun has already set, so we 
hastily bid them adieu and start for home, but not 
before they have sent their respects to Father and 
Mother Engle. 

Thus ends one of the many visits we are called 
Upon to make. But who is this old queen, amid 
such unqueenly surroundings? She was o.ne of the 
numerous wives of Mzilikazi, the founder and first 



MATOPO MISSION 



91 



king of the Matabele tribe. He had a large number 
of wives, not fewer than forty or fifty, and this was 
one of them. The natives here claim that she was 
his chief wife and the mother of Lobengula, the 
king. We think that, however, is very doubtful, 
although the husband of the woman where she stays 
was one of Lobengula's most trusted men. 




Mrs. Cress Giving - a Lesson in Cleanliness. 

This poor queen in her younger days had no doubt 
plenty, with slaves to wait upon her and do her bid- 
ding. Now, in her old age, she tries to work 
for a living by cultivating the soil, and growing 
her own food. If her change of fortune is instru- 
mental in leading her to Christ, she is richer than 
she knows. She will not have all her good things in 
life. We have been trying to help her also in tem- 
poral affairs. 



92 AFRICA 

She arose from this sick bed and afterwards vis- 
ited us. One day, when we were again speaking of 
Christ, her face lighted up and she exclaimed, " I 
am happy because Jesus lives in here," putting her 
hand on her breast. We feel, as Sister Heise ex- 
pressed it, " One would look upon her as one of 
the first fruits of our mission work in Africa." 

Although the work among most of the older peo- 
ple thus far appeared to make little progress, if we 
may judge by their lives, yet a number of the 
pupils were steadfast. As far as could be ascer- 
tained they had accepted Christ as their Savior and 
were walking out in all the light they had. Since 
they were eager to follow the Lord in all things it 
was considered advisable to baptize some. Accord- 
ingly, after the little church was completed, they 
were examined as to their faith. In August, 1899, 
nine boys and one girl were by Elder Engle led into 
one of those sparkling streams and dipped three 
times into the name of the Trinity, and thus put on 
the Lord by baptism. It was a time of great re- 
joicing and encouragement to the missionaries when 
this- was done, and they could gather around the 
table of the Lord, with some dark-skinned brethren, 
who had so lately come out of pagan darkness. Al- 
though these were but babes, yet the missionaries 
felt that the Lord had set His seal upon the work. 

It might seem that we were somewhat hasty in thus 
so soon receiving into church fellowship. The mis- 
sion had been opened only a little over a year, and 
our imperfect knowledge of the language, as well as 
of the native character, made it scarcely possible 
for them to be well instructed in the things of the 



MATOPO MISSION 93 

Lord. There was no cause to think, however, that 
they were not honest and sincere so far as they 
knew. There was a radical change in their lives, 
and some were steadfast, but others had not fully 
counted the cost and soon fell back, if indeed they 
were really saved. One of the oldest, who was over 
twenty years of age, stood well until he went to 
work for a European, who made sport of him, and 
the boy gradually fell back into his former habits. 
Great pains were taken to lead them on to know the 
Lord. 

During this year the war known as the Boer War 
began in South Africa. It was a conflict which 
seemed inevitable between the wealthy English 
mine owners and their Dutch rulers. We are per- 
haps safe in saying that heavy taxation without 
sufficient representation was the chief cause of the 
war. The first event of importance in connection 
with it was the siege of Kimberley, the great dia- 
mond field, and the headquarters of Mr. Rhodes at 
the time. This occurred October 14. The war then 
spread through other parts of South Africa and to 
the border of Rhodesia, but did not extend into it. 
English troops were, however, stationed there to 
repel an invasion should one be attempted. 

The war did not directly affect us, but indirectlv 
it did. By the siege of Kimberley, and later that of 
Mafeking, and the destruction of the railroad our 
line of supplies from Cape Town was cut off, con- 
sequently prices in Rhodesia rose very rapidly. 
Sugar was soon two shillings (48c) per pound, flour 
about three guineas ($15) per one hundred pounds, 
and other groceries in proportion. With little 



94 AFRICA 

money on hand, and the prospects of receiving more 
under such conditions uncertain, famine might have 
stared us in the face. There was no need to be 
uneasy, however; the Lord and the forethought of 
Father and Mother Engle prepared us for such an 
emergency. Shortly before this the Charter Com- 
pany had placed some cattle on the mission farm, 
and we had the use of milk. Butter, eggs, and vege- 
tables for a time brought a very high price in Bula- 
wayo market, and with all these the mission was 
supplied. The little spring wagon, drawn by four 
donkeys, went to Bulawayo nearly every week for 
a time, taking in produce which brought a high 
price, and we were in turn able to pay a high price 
for groceries and food for the table ; so that, during 
the darkest days of the war, all our needs were sup- 
plied. 

Occasionally disquieting rumors would reach us 
that the Boers were about to force their way 
through and come into Rhodesia. The natives 
themselves were not a little interested in the out- 
come of the war. They had no newspapers or 
system of telegraphy like the white people, but they 
had a means of gaining news which to them was 
much more effective. This was by means of com- 
munication among themselves. How they so 
quickly secured news of the various engagements in 
the south and the result of each engagement was a 
mystery. We on our part, situated among them as 
we were, and conscious that there were many who 
were still seething under British rule, could not 
avoid wondering what might be the outcome were 
the British defeated. On the other hand, many of 



MATOPO MISSION 95 

the natives seemed to prefer British rule to that of 
the Dutch. They chose to remain as they were 
rather than change masters. 



CHAPTER EIGHT 

Extension of the Work Followed by Dark 
Days 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat 
fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it 
die, it bringeth forth much fruit. — St. John 12: 24. 

MATOPO MISSION was only one little light 
in the surrounding darkness, and it was 
hoped that other stations might be opened 
in time. So after Brother and Sister Cress came, 
or as soon as they had some little knowledge of the 
language and of the work, they desired to open 
another station. After looking the country over, 
they felt led to a piace up among the hills near the 
kraal of Buka, of whom mention was made earlier 
in these pages. There were a number of kraals in 
the immediate vicinity, and the location seemed a 
good one, except that it was somewhat near Matopo 
Mission. They decided to move out in November, 
and at that time they, together with the tent and 
supplies, were taken to their new station. Unfor- 
tunately a heavy rain came on while they were on 
the way and the ground was thoroughly soaked 
before they had an opportunity to pitch their tent. 
They concluded, however, to remain at their place 
and build. It was named Entabeni Mission. 

The building progressed satisfactorily, and they 
held services on each Sunday for about two months 
or a little over. They felt encouraged in their work 
96 



MATOPO MISSION 97 

and the natives interested. At the Christmas holi- 
days they came to spend the time with us, and we 
had a very enjoyable time with the natives. The 
third week in January, 1900, a messenger arrived to 
inform us that Sister Cress had been stricken with 
fever. A conveyance was immediately sent to 
the place to bring her to Matopo Mission, and by 
the time that reached their mission Brother Cress 
also was sick. Both were brought to the mission 
and made as comfortable as possible. At first no 
one considered their illness serious, for our party 
had thus far been enjoying good health since the 
work opened. Other complications set in in connec- 
tion with Sister Cress' illness, and she gradually 
grew worse. For twenty-four hours she lay uncon- 
scious and then rallied and seemed quite bright. 
We were all present — Engles, Van Blunks, Sister 
Heise, Brother Lehman, and myself — when she ral- 
lied. She requested that prayer be offered for her 
recovery. This was done and we felt that she would 
gain strength, but it was not to be. In half an 
hour that sweet young life passed to be with God. 
This was February 8, 1900. All through her sick- 
ness she felt perfectly resigned to the Lord's will, 
whether for life or death. 

We felt that we could not spare this saintly wom- 
an, so well fitted both by nature and by grace to 
shine for God. She had laid her all upon the altar 
for Africa, and often expressed herself that she 
wanted to spend her life in behalf of this people. 
She had been in Africa only nine and one-half 
months, yet she had entered heart and soul into the 
work of the Lord, and was rapidly acquiring the 



98 AFRICA 

language, so that she could converse with the people. 
She had formed some of the women into a sewing 
class, uniting this work with religious instructions, 
and endearing herself to all with whom she came 
into contact. She loved the people and was willing 
and ready to undertake any kind of work that came 
to her. She was especially gifted in prayer, and it 
was always an inspiration to the rest of us to listen 
to her heartfelt petition. Why the Lord thus early 
in her missionary career took her to Himself, we 
know not; but when the things of earth shall be 
revealed, when we shall know as we are known, 
then all will be clear. 

Brethren Engle and Lehman made a coffin ; we 
covered it within with white muslin and without 
with black cloth, and thus laid the body away. Mr. 
Eyles, of Bulawayo, was interested in the mission 
and occasionally visited us and spoke to the natives, 
since he had good command of the Zulu language. 
On this occasion he consented to come out and 
preach the funeral sermon. The chief men of the peo- 
ple carried her to her last resting place beneath the 
Umkuni tree, and they mingled their tears with 
ours. The occasion was made more sad by the fact 
that the husband was still ill and unable to view the 
corpse or attend the funeral. 

During the sickness of these two people we great- 
ly appreciated the presence and help of Brother and 
Sister Van Blunk, who still lived near the mission. 
Both were very kind in assisting to care for the 
sick and also in the last sad rites. Shortly after- 
wards they moved to Bulawayo and made that the 
headquarters of their evangelistic work. 



MATOPO MISSION 



99 




100 AFRICA 

Brother Cress recovered from his illness, but con- 
cluded that it was best for him to return to America, 
and wrote the Board accordingly. He felt his loss 
keenly. The work in general resumed its normal 
condition until the last week in March, when our 
bishop and overseer, Elder Engle, became sick. He 
had been very busy with the work, and in his fre- 
quent trips to Bulawayo, sometimes in the rain, 
he may have exposed himself. His condition did 
not seem serious, and he was not obliged to keep his 
bed continually. On April 2 he walked to a garden 
near by, and when he returned he again lay down. 
He ate heartily of the dinner prepared for him, after 
which his wife came to the dining-room and ate 
with us. At the close of our 3 P. M. dinner she 
went to her room, but returned at once and asked 
me to fill the hot water bottle and come over. I 
did so and found Brother Engle having a heavy chill 
and speaking the Zulu language rapidly, seemingly 
unconscious of our presence. We endeavored in 
every day to help him, but soon found that he was 
rapidly becoming paralyzed. Sister Heise and 
Brother Lehman were called and a consultation 
held. It was decided to send a messenger to the fort, 
ten miles away, and from there telephone to Bula- 
wayo for a doctor. Brother Cress had left that day 
to go as far as the fort on his way to Bulawayo, and 
he was also to be informed. 

All night we watched by the Elder's bedside, but 
there was nothing that could be done. Brother 
Cress arrived near noon the next day, but the doctor 
did not arrive in time. That was a dark time as 
he lay paralyzed and unconscious in the little mud 



MATOPO MISSION 101 

hut he called home, far from his children, far from 
the comforts of civilization, with none of his family 
or relatives, save his devoted wife, by his side. As 
it became evident that the end was near, that heroic 
mother, who had been such a worthy companion in 
all his labors, stooped over and imprinted on his 
face a kiss for each of their seven sons in far-away 
America. At 5 P. M., April 3, he breathed his last. 
Thus, in less than two months from the date of 
Sister Cress' death, Elder Engle also was called 
home. The loss of our sister was great, but this 
seemed to be a still greater blow on the mission. 

He was so absorbed in the work, and no sacrifice 
was too great, no labor too hard, for him to endure. 
Perhaps, if he had spared himself a little more, he 
might have been able to continue longer in the 
work. Who knows? The language was difficult 
for one at his age, yet he was making heroic efforts 
to acquire it, and could make himself pretty well 
understood. We have seen him, after reading the 
Word, stand before the people, with the tears run- 
ning down his face in his great love for them and 
in his desire to help them to Christ. And the na- 
tives knew that he loved them and they in turn 
loved him and greatly lamented his departure. The 
language of many of them might be summed up in 
that of one woman. As she stood by his coffin, 
weeping, she said: 

" He was good to me. He gave me salt, he gave 
me calico. What shall we do without him?" 

It seemed that his life work was finished. He 
had had the desire of his heart, in that he had been 
permitted to reach Africa and see a work started in 



102 AFRICA 

the wilds. He had been privileged to see something 
of the travail of soul by beholding some step into 
the Kingdom. Now he had gone to hear the wel- 
come message, " Well done, good and faithful serv- 
ant . . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 

This time it was Brethren Cress and Lehman who 
made the coffin. There was no lumber on hand, 
but they removed some from the hut doors for the 
purpose. Again we covered it to contain the form 
of our elder. Mr. Eyles could not meet with us at 
this time, and the Van Blunks were away; but two 
of the officials from Fort Usher were presenc, and 
a number of natives, not so many, however, as at 
the previous time. No doubt they were becoming 
suspicious of this oft-repeated death. The white 
men present, together with some of the natives, car- 
ried the body to its last resting place beside Sister 
Cress. Brother Cress spoke in English to the white 
people present, while the natives were addressed 
by the writer from 2 Tim. 4: 7-8. 

The devoted wife had been wonderfully sustained 
by a Higher Power through all this sad scene. She 
had been called here, far from her home and family, 
to lay away her husband, but she realized that she 
was not alone. When, however, the funeral was 
over, the effects of the shock and of the strain 
through which she had been passing were manifest. 
She too took her bed with the dread African fever. 

The Seventh Day Adventist missionaries, who 
had been so kind to us when we first came to Bula- 
wayo, sent letters of condolence as soon as they 
heard of our bereavement, and offered the services 
of their physician, should we need him. In this 



MATOPO MISSION 



103 




104 AFRICA 

emergency we sent for him to come and see Mother 
Engle. He rode the fifty miles on horseback to 
come to minister to her and to give us instructions 
as to how to treat the disease. This was something 
which we greatly needed and appreciated, and it has 
been of great service to us in later years. He would 
accept no compensation for his long and tiresome 
journey. Such are the big hearts one finds in the 
interior of Africa. They are enlarged to take in 
more of the Spirit of the Master. All was done that 
could possibly be done for Mother Engle, so that 
she might gain her health sufficiently to return to 
America with Brother Cress. She continued to 
have relapses of the fever for three months, and it 
was not until July 19 that she was able to make the 
journey. 

Brother Cress' stay of sixteen months in Africa 
had brought great loss to him, but the Lord had 
sustained him. We were sorry to lose him as well 
as Mother Engle in the work. She never felt called 
of herself to go as a missionary, but only to be with 
her husband. When he was led of the Lord to go 
forth, she most cheerfully bade farewell to her fam- 
ily and all that was dear to a mother's heart and 
went with her husband, neither of them knowing 
whether they would be permitted to see their family 
again. She was not merely a companion to him, 
but a most devoted helpmate, not only in all that 
can possibly mean in civilized lands ; but larger still, 
in the heartaches, the weariness, the loneliness, and 
the discouragements that come to a missionary. 
How often the names of their loved ones would be 
spoken by these two ! How they would linger over 



MATOPO MISSION 105 

the letters that came, and yet never a word of com- 
plaining or regret that they had left all for this. 
When Elder Engle died we felt that we had lost a 
father; so, when she left for America, we realized 
that the mother and homemaker was gone. 

Before their departure a most important event 
transpired. I refer to the marriage, on May 1, of 
Mr. Isaac Lehman and Miss Alice Heise, by Rev. 
Van Blunk. This was to have taken place earlier, 
but was delayed by the sorrowful events through 
which we were passing. Even the day of the wed- 
ding was saddened by a most serious relapse of 
Mother Engle, and we felt quite anxious on her 
account. This was the first opportunity for the na- 
tives to see something of a Christian wedding, and 
we believe they were impressed with the difference 
between a Christian and a pagan marriage. Brother 
Lehman was a consecrated young man and had 
from the first taken hold of the work along all lines 
with zeal and readiness. He had also made rapid 
strides in the language. Sister Heise, too, ever since 
the opening of the mission, had been a most able 
and efficient worker, so that both were well 
equipped to do effectual service for the Master. 

All of us accompanied Mother Engle and Brother 
Cress to Bulawayo, where they rested for a day and 
then took the train for Cape Town, while we re- 
turned to continue the work. For a time nine white 
workers had been at Matopo Mission, and in less 
than six months the number had been reduced to 
three. Those left, however, were not discouraged. 
May 23 of the same year one of them wrote to the 
Evangelical Visitor: 



106 AFRICA 

" He that keepeth thee will not slumber." This is the 
Father's promise to all His dear children, not only to 
you who are sheltered in Christian homes, but also to 
us who are in the wilds of Africa. We have just as much 
faith in the promise today as when to outward appear- 
ances everything was more secure. Your hearts with 
ours have no doubt been torn by the sad messages which 
have crossed the waters during the few months just past, 
and some one may be even tempted to doubt whether it 
was the Lord's will for us to come to Africa. Beloved, 
does England doubt the outcome of the deadly conflict 
raging in South Africa because she has already lost thou- 
sands of men? Is her courage failing? No; far from 
it. Money and men are continually pouring into the 
country and soon the independence of two states will be 
a thing of the past. Shall we as Christian soldiers have 
less faith in the King of kings? Shall we give up the 
conflict because two have fallen by our side? No; not if 
all men forsake us, for with God we still have a majority. 
While our hearts feel bereft by the departure of our be- 
loved colaborers, we still have confidence in our Great 
Captain, and we know that He never lost a battle. 



CHAPTER NINE 
The Battle Is not Yours, but God's 

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, 
that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and 
having done all, to stand. — Eph. 6: 13. 

THE missionary going among the heathen 
must realize that he is about to engage in a 
warfare, and that the conflict will be fierce 
and long. He is assailing the great enemy of souls 
in his stronghold. The fight is on continually and 
one must keep armed for battle. More important 
yet than this the missionary should remember that 
he is under orders and that the work is not his but 
the Lord's. 

The loss of our fellow-soldiers was most keenly 
felt, and there were some severe tests to face. The 
work had become disorganized by the continued ill- 
ness and the deaths, when all our energies had been 
needed in caring for those about us. Encouraging 
letters, however, came from the homeland and the 
Mission Board, so that we realized that prayers 
were being offered in our behalf and in behalf of 
the work. We also expected that reinforcements 
would be forthcoming in the Lord's own time. So, 
under the leadership of our Great Captain, the army 
was again set in array and the conflict continued. 

We were pleased to note that the people stood by 
us nobly in this extremity, even though Satan had 
107 



108 AFRICA 

put forth every effort to defeat the work. Some 
who had started to follow the Lord saw that they 
had become indifferent and renewed their covenant. 
There were four boys who were staying at the mis- 
sion at this time, and they came one evening and 
said they would like to have a talk. This was not 
so strange, as we often had little confidential chats 
with them. On this particular evening they came 
in and sat down. Then, without any preliminary 
remarks, Matshuba arose and made a complete con- 
fession of his past life. He then sat down and 
Kelenki arose and began to do the same. I said, 

" Boys, if you desire we will call Brother and 
Sister Lehman, that they may hear likewise." 

They replied, " Yes, Miss, do so, for we desire to 
confess everything and have all wiped away, and we 
do not want to repeat our wrongdoings, for we 
want to be ready when Jesus comes." 

So one of them called the Lehmans, and begin- 
ning again they arose, one by one, and told of their 
past life. When each one had finished he would 
turn around and inquire of the rest if he had told 
everything. Three of them were baptized members, 
and they evidently had been having a meeting in 
their hut and became concerned about their condi- 
tion. They had not been guilty of any new sins, 
but were in doubt as to their standing before God, 
and wanted pardon and cleansing. They had taken 
1 John 1 : 9 very literally. When the confessions 
were finished we all knelt in prayer; and after we 
had prayed, they too most earnestly besought the 
Lord that they might be set completely free from 
their past life. When they arose to their feet their 



MATOPO MISSION 109 

faces were shining and they said " God had heard 
and answered." 

Then, as they sat there, they told of their old lives 
and of the lives of the people about us, until we 
felt that we were just beginning to know the people 
among whom we were situated. Conditions which, 
up to that time, they had been timid of telling, for 
fear of their people, they now boldly and fearlessly 
exposed, and they seemed to be done once and for- 
ever with their heathen past. Our hearts went up in 
gratitude to the Father, and our eyes were opened 
more and more to see the real need of this people 
and the obstacles in their way of becoming Chris- 
tians. 

People reared in Christian homes, with an entire 
Bible which they can read from childhood, with the 
privileges of church and Sunday-school, with good 
literature and hymns and many other advantages 
which might be mentioned, cannot possibly, by any 
stretch of imagination, put themselves in the place 
of those who are deprived of all these ; and not only 
that, but who, from infancy, have been in an atmos- 
phere of ignorance and superstition, reeking with 
influences the most foul and loathsome imaginable. 
Then, too, is it to be wondered at that when people, 
who have been brought up amid surroundings the 
most helpful possible, spiritually, and the most con- 
ducive to growth in grace, grow lean in soul and 
backslide — I say is it to be wondered at that the 
Christians in heathen lands, in their desperate strug- 
gle against such adverse and degrading surround- 
ings, sometimes relapse into heathendom? Not only 
is it not to be wondered at, but it is positively sur- 



110 AFRICA 

prising and a great cause for rejoicing among mis- 
sionaries, that so many grasping hold of the Ever- 
lasting Arm do once and forever shake off the bog 
and filth of the bottomless pit and stand as monu- 
ments of His power to save to the uttermost. 

During the dry season of 1900 an aggressive cam- 
paign against Satan and his followers among the 
rocks and strongholds was begun, for we felt that 
the Lord would have us press the battle to the 
gates. During the rainy seasons, when people are 
busy in their gardens, and when there is a great 
deal of sickness, both school and evangelistic work 
suffer, so that it is necessary to make the best use 
of the dry season. As soon as the crops were gath- 
ered the school at the mission increased in numbers 
and interest, and Brother and Sister Lehman opened 
a school at the village of Chief Hluganisa. They 
rode back and forth day by day, and when they 
were unable to go two of the boys were sent to 
teach. The attendance and interest there were en- 
couraging. 

What of this chief, who had so kindly received 
the missionaries two years before? It would be a 
pleasure to be able to report that he had opened his 
heart to accept Christ as his Savior, but such was 
not the case. He was very ready to receive the 
gifts of the white man, whether from officials, mis- 
sionaries, or any one else. He was also quite will- 
ing that the school should be started in his village; 
for would not this make his people wiser and more 
able to secure the good things of the earth? But 
the white man's religion, he would none of it for 
himself. He was a most troublesome beggar from 



MATOPO MISSION 111 

first to last. Elder Engle had made him a present 
of a very good blanket, with which he was greatly 
pleased, but he seldom came to services. When 
he came to the mission it was always with the ex- 
pectation of asking and receiving something. 

One day he came to pay us sort of a state visit, 
and a little later his three wives followed in order 
of their rank. We were desirous of treating them 
all kindly after their long walk to pay us this visit, 
so Mother Engle concluded to give them bread and 
tea. A plate of bread, together with a quantity of 
tea and sugar, was placed before them. We ex- 
pected, of course, that all would receive some. The 
chief appropriated everything; emptied all the sugar 
into the tea, drank all, and ate all the bread. AYhen 
they started home the wives went first, the lowest in 
rank preceding, to prepare everything for their lord 
and master, who followed at his leisure. One day 
one of the missionaries, tried by his cupidity and 
avarice, gave him a straight talk. He did not return 
for some months after this, not until the funeral of 
Sister Cress. Until this day he continues to be a 
rank heathen, greedy, and superstitious, and a lover 
of wives and beer. 

All three of us by this time were fairly well pre- 
pared in the language, and some of the boys were 
beginning to be helpful in evangelistic work. Early 
in the season the Lehmans, with one of the men as 
guide, made a tour to the southeast of us in a 
section not yet visited. They reported an interest- 
ing and profitable trip and met the people from six 
different kraals. As it was a section of raw heathen- 
dom, they were surprised to find, at one of the 



112 AFRICA 

kraals, a woman who joined heartily in the hymn 
sung and was familiar with the words. On inquiry 
they found that when a girl she had lived at the 
house of Rev. Thomas, one of the first missionaries 
of Matabeleland. He had a station at some dis- 
tance north of Bulawayo, and his memory is much 
revered by those natives who knew him. The broth- 
er and sister had the fortune, or misfortune, to be 
present at a beer drink. This is their way of getting 
a lot of work done : They make a quantity of beer ; 
then call in their neighbors to help work, paying 
them with beer. It is surprising how much beer 
they can consume at such times. They often be- 
come quite boisterous and even intoxicated, and 
frequently quarrel and fight as a result of their de- 
bauch. On this occasion the men were friendly, 
but scarcely in a condition to receive the Gospel. 
The travelers returned tired, but rejoicing in the 
Lord because of another opportunity of sowing seed. 
The life of a missionary is not full of exciting 
adventures and encouraging incidents. It is very 
ordinary at times and very crushing at others. The 
ups and downs would soon wear him out did he not 
take fast hold of God and, looking up by faith, keep 
saying to Him, " Lord, this is Thy work. Do Thou 
bear the burdens, the joys, and the sorrows that 
keep crowding thick and fast upon me, and let me 
be only Thy instrument and Thy weapon of war- 
fare." I remember, during the first year, I at times 
felt I was not burdened enough for the souls about 
me, and once spent long hours of prayer, asking that 
the burden might rest more heavily. I retired to 
rest. The next day the Lord answered the prayer 



MATOPO MISSION 113 

of His messenger. I thought it would crush me to 
the earth, but the lesson had been learned. He knows 
how much we can bear, and we should always say, 
"As Thou wilt." 

In our visits among the people one day is much 
like another, but they must be made in order to 
keep in touch with them. August 17 I wrote as 
follows : 

" One more day's work for Jesus, 

One less of life for me, 
But heaven is nearer and Christ is dearer, 

Than yesterday to me. 
His life and light fill all my soul tonight." 

This being Saturday, I arose early to go out among 
the people. After taking some food, I started a little 
after sunrise with Sihlaba as guide. We went to visit 
the kraal of Siponka, about two miles distant. These peo- 
ple have been on my mind for some time. They are 
good-hearted but veritable heathen, and care only for 
the good things of this life. They are entirely too indif- 
ferent to come either to school or church, although two, 
who were members, live here. The downward influence 
is too strong for even them, and seemingly they have 
done according to the proverb. 

Early as it was in the morning, the people were nearly 
all away, but we found at home two men, some women, 
and boys and girls. There was an opportunity for giving 
the Gospel to them, and the Lord greatly helped in the 
presentation of His Word. They gradually became in- 
terested and seemed at least to have greater light. May 
the Lord send home the truth into their hearts! 

Siyaya (one of the backslidden boys) went along with 
us to the home of Amuzeze (another member). Here 
there were a number of women, one man, and some young 
people. They were more willing than usual to listen, 
also more able to understand, and Amuzeze took part in 
prayer. 



114 AFRICA 

From there Siyaya also went along to Umvunzi's home. 
Poor boy! he followed us around, seemingly hungry for 
the Word, but helplessly overcome by the gross darkness 
surrounding him. At this last place there were only a 
few present. The men from all these kraals had gone a 
long distance to buy goats. Here the powers of dark- 
ness were so great that I could not shake off the feeling 
and have victory in speaking. I wonder what my spiritual 
status would be at the end of the year, if I were obliged 
to live long amid such surroundings; and yet I have 
Christ and His Spirit in my soul and much of His Word 
written in my heart, while these poor ones have only 
generations of paganism back of them. 

We then turned our faces homeward, moving in some- 
thing of a circle and coming first to Seba's village. This 
is not far from the mission, and yet it is our first visit 
to this place. The people seemed very glad to see us, and 
some here had the privilege for the first time of hearing 
the Gospel, and were eager to catch every word. While 
we were speaking, a native, carrying poles, was passing, 
and he put his poles down and entered to listen.' He was 
a stranger to me. A tall fine-looking fellow he was. He 
informed us that he had moved near and was building a 
hut. Mapita and his wife also had entered during the 
services. Seba invited us to remain for dinner and eat 
of their inkobe (boiled corn), but it was not yet ready, 
so thanking hjm for his hospitality we continued our 
journey. 

First, the stranger invited us to go over and see his 
wife and the hut he was building, which was only a short 
distance away. We did so and here we met two women 
from our nearest kraal. We then proceeded on our home- 
ward way, and had gone only a short distance when we 
met John (a Christian) and his brothers, who followed 
us home. 

On the way we stopped a few minutes at Mapita's home 
to see the children, and then reached the mission at mid- 
day. The boys remained a short time to talk. I then 
tidied my hut, made a dress and gave it to a little girl, 



MATOPO MISSION 115 

and entertained a number of native women. After our 
three o'clock dinner and worship I read and studied the 
language, and here it is evening and the close of a very 
enjoyable day. 

This account has been given, not because there 
was anything unusual about it, but because it is 
typical of many Saturdays on the mission field, and 
some of them have been days of the most exquisite 
enjoyment we have ever known. Such days never 
seem to become monotonous. One forgets the 
long and tiresome walk if he finds eager and inter- 
ested listeners at the end. Even if some steel their 
hearts against the Word, there is still the conscious- 
ness to the messenger that he has done what he 
could. Then again much of one's time on the mis- 
sion station is spent talking to 'the natives who 
come. They may not be anxious for the Gospel, 
but one always hopes some word or message may 
sink into their hearts. 

The first few years of the mission, the country 
was occasionally visited by locusts, sometimes in 
such large swarms as almost to darken the face of 
the sky. These were not the seventeen-year cicadas, 
which some people are pleased to term locusts, but 
large grasshoppers, various kinds of which made 
their appearance to the great destruction of crops 
and vegetation. Sometimes the corn and the kafir 
corn would be stripped. Again, an immense swarm 
would come suddenly and alight — so that in a very 
short time the whole face of nature would be trans- 
formed from a bright green to a reddish brown, the 
color of the locusts — and would then as suddenly fly 
off without doing much harm. Wherever the lo- 



116 AFRICA 

custs settled for the night, the natives would be 
there early in the morning with their nets and 
catch them for food. 

The year 1900 was especially one of these locust 
years. During the dry season, the adult locusts 
selected suitable places, remained to feed for a 
time, then deposited their eggs in the earth and 
died. As at this time the insects cannot fly, the 
natives catch them in large numbers and carry them 
home for food. One such swarm settled about two 
miles from the mission, and thither day after day 
went the women and girls to catch them. They 
would put them in bags or large baskets and carry 
them home. One could often see ten or twelve 
women walking through our premises, each one 
carrying on her head a bushel or more of locusts. 
They would cook them in large earthen pots, then 
spread them on the rocks to dry, after which they 
would go for a fresh supply. When the locusts 
were dry they would be stored away for food. In 
eating them the natives would remove head, wings, 
and legs and eat them somewhat after the manner 
of dried herring, and considered them a great deli- 
cacy, saying, " They are our meat." We have par- 
taken of them in this manner and found them not 
unpalatable, and they are certainly a cleaner food 
than many things eaten in civilized lands. The 
natives' favorite way of preparing the locusts, how- 
ever, was to stamp them in a stamping block, then 
cook them, together with ground peanuts, into a 
gravy to be eaten with their porridge. 

Although many of the locusts had been safely 
stowed away in the native storehouses, during this 



MATOPO MISSION 117 

year, yet numbers remained in various parts of the 
country to lay their eggs in the ground. When the 
rains came and softened the ground these eggs 
hatched. After a colony hatched, the little wingless 
larvae, or hoppers, started forth as an army, all 
going in one direction. These armies were general- 
ly about a rod or two in width and much greater in 
length, and woe to the young garden that came in 
their way! They would spread over it, devour the 
tender shoots, and then proceed in the same general 
direction in which they had been traveling. The 
natural grass and herbage of the country was too 
tough for them to eat. Not only one but several 
such armies coming from different directions passed 
through our gardens that season, and some of the 
cornfields had to be planted two or three times. 
One was finally left unplanted, while our potatoes 
and many of the garden vegetables were destroyed. 
At first we endeavored to fight them with fires when 
they were seen to be approaching a garden, but this 
was soon found to be useless. The missionaries felt 
the loss of their crops and vegetables, but their 
loss could not be compared with that of the poor 
natives, many of whom could not procure grain for 
a second planting, and they had nothing else to de- 
pend upon. 

During this year we were seriously contemplating 
an advanced step in the work, by opening the way 
for more boys and girls to come as boarders. They 
would thus be given a Christian home and be 
trained to work and to habits of cleanliness. Up to 
this time the largest number staying at one time 
was four boys ; and one girl had come lately. The 



118 AFRICA 

day was not far distant when it would be necessary 
to erect better and more permanent dwellings, as 
the huts were already showing signs of decay; and 
if more boys could be received and these trained to 
make brick and assist in building, it would be an 
advantage both to the boys and to the mission. As 
the year drew near to a close there began to be a 
desire on the part of some of the older boys to at- 
tend school and perhaps come to stay with us. We 
knew enough of the native character to believe that 
it was best not to throw out any special inducement, 
as it is always best for them to desire a thing for 
themselves and to be fully persuaded in their own 
minds so that they might not be wavering. 

On New Year's Day, 1901, after the close of the 
services, a boy, probably nineteen years of age, 
stood at the open door of my hut with rather a wist- 
ful look on his face. He was well dressed and had 
been working for white people, but had shown no 
interest in school or in the Gospel up to this time. 
Something in his face that day prompted me to say, 

" Ndhlalambi, when are you coming to stay at the 
mission and give your heart to the Lord?" 

He promptly replied, " I am coming one week 
from tomorrow." 

Afterwards, in giving his experience, he said, 
" While I was working at the mines I became con- 
victed of my wrongdoing and made up my mind 
that I would come to the missionaries and go to 
school and give my heart to Jesus. When I came 
I was afraid to ask and the Lord told Miss to ask 
me." 

He did come and did yield his heart to the Lord, 



MATOPO MISSION 119 

and seemed to settle it in his mind, if one may judge 
by subsequent actions. " I care nut what course 
others may take, but as for me I will serve the 
Lord." He made a good confession and was always 
ready to step out into the light as it shone on his 
pathway. His way, however, was not an easy one. 
He met with violent opposition at times from an 
irascible pagan father, and persecution in various 
ways, but he stood firm. A special test came to 
him a year or two after he started to school. One 
day he came in great distress and said, 

" Father is very angry with me. My mother's 
brother died and left me a lot of cattle and other 
property, and my parents wish me to go and claim 
the property. But if I go, they will have a big 
dance and claim to call back the spirit of my uncle 
and ask him his will about the property, and they 
will want me to take part in their worship. I desire 
to follow the Lord." 

I said, " If you do not go perhaps you will not re- 
ceive the property." 

" That makes no difference," he replied. " I love 
the Lord more than I love the cattle. Only pray 
that father will not be angry with me for refusing 
to go." 

Later he came with his face all aglow and said, 
" The Lord has heard our prayers. Father is not 
angry with me any more." 

In school he was slow but persevering, and in 
work likewise. He had his faults, and seemed at 
times to be lacking in humility, yet he never seemed 
to waver in his determination to follow the Lord. 

Several other young men also applied for admis- 



120 AFRICA 

sion, among whom was Gomo, a brother of Tebengo 
and Muza and Emyonleni ; also two younger boys 
who were already Christians, Masikwa and Madhli- 
wa. There were now nine boys, and several months 
afterward three girls came. These girls were trained 
by Sister Lehman to do housework. The work was 
looking quite encouraging, for all showed an interest 
in desiring to become Christians. 

As this rainy season came on, it could not fail to 
remind us of the loss and of the trying times of 
the previous year. Some of our number thought it 
best to go to a more healthy place until the rains 
were over. This, however, would almost necessi- 
tate closing the work, which was not to be thought 
of. 

In the midst of the rains, in March, Sister Leh- 
man took down with the fever one day and on the 
following day her husband was also laid low. The 
buildings at Matopo are in a healthy place, yet 
during the rainy season one is always more or less 
exposed to fever, either by traveling and sleeping 
out, or even by going down to the gardens in the 
valley in the evening. At that time we did not 
understand so well how to check or combat the 
fever as in later years. So the sick ones grew worse 
and required my constant attention day and night 
for about ten or more days. Fortunately the boys 
were good helpers, as there were no girls at the 
time. Matshuba was able to take charge of the 
school ; Ndhlalambi and one of the little boys could 
help me in the kitchen and sickroom ; Gomo did the 
washing outside of the window where I could see 



MATOPO MISSION 121 

and direct; and the other hoys attended to the 
gardens. 

As the sick ones grew worse we sent a hoy for a 
doctor, but on account of the damp, rainy weather, 
he delayed several days before coming, so that the 
fever was broken by the time he reached the mis- 
sion. It was a trying time and one of looking to 
the Lord on the part of the sick and the well ones. 
To make matters worse some of the boys became 
quite ill, and we were unable to give them the at- 
tention they needed. One day Kelenki, who was 
very low, managed to crawl to the kitchen and 
begged to be allowed to lie there by the stove. Mrs. 
Eyles kindly came out from Bulawayo when at last 
the doctor was able to reach us. She remained for 
a week during their convalescence and cared for the 
sick. This gave me a much-needed rest and an op- 
portunity to turn my attention to the boy, who was 
still quite ill and needed help. It was a day of 
rejoicing when our brother and sister and all were 
restored to health, and we were thankful that the 
Lord had mercy upon us, lest we should have sor- 
row upon sorrow. 

During the time we were passing through these 
afflictions, another difficulty was staring us in the 
face, which threatened, if possible, to be more se- 
rious than any which we had yet been called upon 
to meet. This was the land question. Mention 
was made that we were looking toward the erection 
of more permanent buildings. We had sent to the 
Board for money for this purpose ; also for money 
to survey the land. Up to this time the 3,000 acres 
upon which the mission had been located by the 



122 AFRICA 

government, had not been surveyed. It had been 
given only as a reservation for mission purpose, 
and permission had also been granted that the mis- 
sionaries could stake off a plot of 3,000 acres and 
make a diagram without going to the expense of 
employing a government surveyor, as that kind of 
work is costly in Africa. For this purpose, the year 
previous, four of us, Brethren Engle and Cress, to- 
gether with Sister Heise and myself, started out to 
stake out the land, supposing, as we had been in- 
formed by the official who located the mission, that 
the two beacons north of us were the limit of the 
surveyed territory. We climbed hills, went over 
precipices, and waded swamps under a hot August 
sun and made a diagram of the desired farm, only to 
find at the close that the result was not satisfactory 
to the government. It was necessary for a govern- 
ment survey to be made, and this had not been 
done ; but we had sent for money for the purpose, 
and the money had just arrived. 

The day on which Sister Lehman took sick, two 
Europeans brought some cattle and put them in our 
pen, from which the company's cattle had been re- 
moved the previous year. They did not ask for 
permission to place these cattle on the mission farm, 
and to us it seemed rather a bold step. They in- 
formed us, however, that they thought a mistake 
had been made in locating the mission, and that we 
were on surveyed land. They stated that they were 
not certain in reference to the matter, as the owners 
did not know the exact boundary of their farm. 

The Charter Company, of Rhodesia had, especially 
at the close of the war, made large concessions of 



MATOPO MISSION 123 

land to companies, syndicates, and individuals. 
These grants often comprised many thousands of 
acres, and in many instances the owners, in the 
early days, did not know the location of their land. 
They simply sent out a surveyor to measure and 
stake off the requisite amount and erect beacons ; 
then the land was left entirely unimproved. If they 
were fortunate enough afterwards to know the 
boundaries of the farms, they often sent out an agent 
to collect tax of the natives living on it. The best 
of the land being disposed of, very little remained 
for farmers, who would have improved the land, or 
for missionaries, who would both improve it and in- 
struct the natives. No doubt the government, when 
too late, realized their lack of wisdom in making 
some of these grants, as it greatly retarded the work 
of building up and developing the country. 

This was the condition of affairs when Matopo 
Mission was located. We had, however, no intima- 
tion that a mistake might have been made in the 
location, until informed by the two Europeans pre- 
viously mentioned. One of them desired to collect 
hut tax for the company owning the land, but this 
he could not do, as he was not certain of the bound- 
aries, and the company, at the time, was not willing 
to bear the expense of having a surveyor come out 
to locate the land. It is needless to say that it was 
a dark and trying time for the missionaries. If we 
were on surveyed land, we might have to change 
the mission site and much of the work already ac- 
complished would be lost. Again, how were we to 
find out where we were? If a wealthy company did 
not care to bear the expense of locating their land, 



124 AFRICA 

how much less able were missionaries, whose purses, 
at the best, are never too full ! Should we go to 
the expense of sending for a surveyor to locate us, 
we might be forced to move the mission, and the 
outlay incurred would benefit the company alone. 
We were in these wilds ; could we succeed in locat- 
ing ourselves? 

As usual, when difficulties thus confronted us, we 
looked to Him who never fails. Any one in the 
mission field has often reasons to be thankful for 
the varied training and experiences of the home 
land ; for no knowledge or previous experience of 
whatever sort comes amiss when he is out where 
there is little outside help. We had studied, hence 
had a little knowledge of surveying. Would that 
knowledge help us here in these fastnesses? 

Mr. Jackson, the magistrate at Fort Usher, who 
had always been a friend in need, was appealed to. 
He did not know the boundaries of the farms in the 
immediate vicinity, but he knew the location of 
one important beacon several miles north, for he 
had had occasion to settle a difficulty in reference 
to it some time previous. So, with this knowledge 
to begin with, we went to the government surveyor 
and secured a diagram of all the farms in the vicinity 
of the mission. Thus equipped, and securing a com- 
pass, we started for home. Brother Lehman made 
a temporary chain, and together with some of the 
boys we went to the beacon pointed out by Mr. 
Jackson. From this a survey was made south, and 
it was discovered that the mission was on a tract of 
land known as " Matopo Block," owned by the 
Bulawayo Syndicate. This was a farm of 25,000 



MATOPO MISSION 125 

acres, and it was about twelve miles long. As there 
were no beacons for a distance of seven miles on the 
south of the mission, it was not difficult to under- 
stand how the mistake was made in the location. 
By further survey we discovered that we were on 
the extreme east end of this farm, and a line drawn 
nearly southeast from the beacon north of us would 
give the mission the required 3,000 acres. Another 
surveyed farm lay adjoining this on the east. 

We had located the mission, but it remained to 
induce the government to arrange with the syndi- 
cate and give them land elsewhere in exchange for 
the amount promised to the mission. It is needless 
to enter into the details of the slow process neces- 
sary for settling the difficulty, for any one dealing 
with the affairs of government knows something 
of the tediousness and red tape required. Letters 
were addressed to both the government and to Mr. 
Rhodes, who was then on his estate near Bulawayo. 
The government officials met the question in a spirit 
of conciliation and fairness, promising to do all in 
their power to bring it to a satisfactory settlement. 
We were asked later to make further survey, to be 
certain that we had given the correct location. At 
one time it appeared that the exchange could not be 
made, and we were requested to look up another 
location. Looking to the Lord, we made another 
appeal, which resulted, in September of the same 
year, in the mission being allowed to retain its lo- 
cation. At first this was to have been only a reser- 
vation, but the final papers, which were not made 
out until late in 1902, resulted in giving a ninety- 
nine-year lease, which was much more satisfactory. 



CHAPTER TEN 
Reinforcements and Industrial Work 

It is not the mere preacher that is wanted here. The 
bishops of Great Britain, collected with all the classic 
youth of Oxford and Cambridge, would effect nothing by 
mere talking with the intelligent people of Uganda. It is 
the practical Christian tutor, who can teach people how to 
become Christians, cure their diseases, construct dwell- 
ings, understand and exemplify agriculture, turn his hand 
to anything, like a sailor — this is the man who is wanted. 
Such an one, if he can be found, would become the savior 
of Africa. — Henry M. Stanley. 

DURING the progress of the land question 
and the negotiations with the government, 
important changes were taking place in the 
personse of the mission. In June of 1901 we were 
pleased to receive much-needed reinforcements in 
the persons of Mr. Levi Doner and Miss Emma 
Long. Accompanying them were Mr. and Mrs. 
Jacob Lehman, who were on their way to engage 
in mission work at the Compounds in Johannesburg. 
On account of the war they were not yet permitted 
to enter Johannesburg, so they came to Matopo for a 
time. 

At the same time Brother Isaac Lehman and wife 
thought it best to go to Cape Town for a rest, as 
she had not fully recovered from her attack of the 
fever. We were very sorry to lose so valuable co- 
laborers at this time, for they had the language and 
126 



MATOPO MISSION 127 

experience in mission work, and it always requires 
time for new missionaries to take hold of the various 
duties. I especially felt the loss of Brother Leh- 
mans, as I was the only one left who could speak 
to the natives. Brother Doner, however, made rapid 
strides in the language, and soon acquired a work- 
ing knowledge of it, and was also a willing and effi- 
cient messenger along all lines. Very early in the 
work he was laid low with fever, but he recovered. 
Then Sister Long was quite sick for a time. These 
experiences, coming so early in their missionary ca- 
reer, were somewhat discouraging. 

The mission family was steadily increasing. A 
number of other boys had come to stay at the mis- 
sion and become pupils and industrial workers. 
From the very first in receiving boys at the mission 
station, it was our plan to have them in school 
three and one-half hours and the rest of the time, 
which was five or six hours, they were engaged in 
some industrial work. As the natural inclination of 
the native is toward laziness and filthiness in per- 
sonal habits, we were opening the door and taking 
all who desired to come and giving them a home, 
our aim being to take them out of their degraded 
home surroundings and give them the threefold 
training, spiritual, intellectual, and industrial, all of 
which seemed necessary to help them become 
strong, established Christians. 

These natives, for sanitary and other reasons, are 
always given their own separate huts, away from 
the Europeans ; they have their own native food 
and live their own life. Some of them are appointed 
to grind and cook their food and do the work of 



128 AFRICA 

their kitchen. It could not be otherwise in such a 
country. Even the most civilized natives as a rule 
prefer to eat by themselves. The missionaries 
sometimes accept the hospitality of the natives in 
their homes and eat of the food set before them, 
but even there the natives will wait until the mis- 
sionaries have finished eating, or else they will eat 
in a separate place. 

Since the pupils have time to do considerable 
work, they receive, in addition to food and school- 
ing, a small sum of money sufficient to clothe them- 
selves ; and on Saturday afternoon, after washing 
their clothing, they have the time for recreation and 
mending their clothing. 

Up to this time the industrial work of the boys 
had been chiefly on the farm and in the gardens ; 
but now a new line of work was being introduced, 
that of brick-making. Brother Doner desired to 
start in this work at least. It was at this time some- 
what of an experiment, as the various kinds of soil 
had to be tested so that he might know which was 
best suited for this purpose. It was also too late in 
the season to spend much time in this work. A 
few thousand of brick were made ; and as rains 
threatened to come early, they were hastily built in- 
to a kiln and burnt. A beginning had been made, 
however, and some knowledge of brick-making 
gained. 

During November of this year an event occurred 
which was second to none in the history of the work. 
I refer to the arrival of Elder and Mrs. Steigerwald, 
sent out to have charge of the mission. 

We had been looking forward and hoping that 



MATOPO MISSION 129 

some one might come in this capacity. In the mean- 
time we were carrying on the work as well as we 
were able during the nineteen months since the 
death of Elder Engle. The brother and sister took 
hold of the work courageously from the first. It is 
nut an easy task to begin mission work in heathen 
lands, among a strange people, strange tongue, 
strange surroundings and ways of living. It is no 
less easy to step into a work already begun amidst 
such different surroundings and new ways of doing 
things, and find the work pressing in on all sides. 
Such were the conditions that met Elder Steiger- 
wald from the first, but it soon became evident that 
he was equal to the task. 

Constant changes in the mission field are trying, 
both to the people and to the missionaries them- 
selves. Here two had been called away by death, 
four had returned home (including Brother and Sis- 
ter Van Blunk), and the two Lehmans and their 
wives had gone to Cape Town. The people could 
not help feeling these changes and scarcely knew 
what to expect. The changes seem to have been 
unavoidable, yet it makes the people suspicious of 
those who remain. The natives, like all those in 
heathen countries, love to think that their mission- 
aries have come to stay and be one with them. The 
true missionary bears much the same relation to 
his people as the parent does to the child ; for they 
are his spiritual children. Then too the language is 
not mastered in one, two, three years, or even in a 
longer period of time. In fact, many do not master 
it in a lifetime, so that all these changes could not 
fail to have their effect on the work and the natives, 



130 AFRICA 

and render the position of Brother Steigerwald a 
difficult one. 

His first important work was to unite in mar- 
riage, on Christmas Day, Brother Doner and Sister 
Long. There were many more natives present on 
this occasion than at the previous marriage to wit- 
ness the ceremony and to congratulate their mis- 
sionaries. 

Money had been forthcoming for permanent 
buildings which were greatly needed. The huts 
were not only showing signs of decay, but some 
were damp and unhealthful during the rainy season, 
and even became mouldy at times. It was evident 
that, however convenient and useful they had been 
in their time, their day was fast passing away, and 
for the comfort and health of the missionaries some- 
thing more permanent must be erected. The rains 
had started before Elder Steigerwald's arrival, so 
no more bricks could be made until the rains were 
over. Brother Doner was busy with the farming, 
and this left Brother Steigerwald free to make 
preparations for building. 

There is an abundance of fine granite stones and 
slabs in the vicinity; and as the new year of 1902 
opened, he had these hauled together for a founda- 
tion. During the rainy season, whenever the rains 
stopped for a time, he built at the foundation of the 
house. Although he had natives to assist, yet he 
found the work to be very heavy and taxing to his 
strength, but by the end of the rainy season he had a 
most excellent foundation for a house laid. Then 
he and Brother Doner, with the help of the school- 
boys and some other natives, made and burnt a 



MATOPO MISSION 



131 



large kiln of bricks and were ready to begin the 
house. 

The brethren in Africa can tell you that building 
on a mission station in the wilds of Africa is quite a 
different affair from what it is in civilized countries, 
or even in the cities of Africa. In these latter 
places, a man, desiring to build, buys his timber, his 




Matopo Mission House. Front View. 



ready-made brick, and other material. Then the 
stone masons come and lay the foundation. The 
bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, plasterers, and 
painters all follow in their order, together with their 
helpers, and the work is completed in an incredibly 
short space of time. On the mission field all this usu- 
ally falls to the lot of one man, from the blasting out 
of the stone for the foundation and the brickmaking 



132 AFRICA 

until the building is completed. He is mason, brick- 
layer, carpenter, plumber, plasterer, ail in one. That 
one often is not a trained mechanic, or even a prac- 
tical one, but many times he comes direct from the 
farm, schoolroom, or pulpit. With the many du- 
ties of a missionary pressing in upon him, sufficient 
to occupy all his attention, he must in addition un- 
dertake the laborious task of building a house, and 
even make most of the furniture with which it is 
fitted up. 

Some one may inquire, Is it not possible to secure 
skilled workmen to do the building? Yes, in some 
instances this can be done ; but the high cost of liv- 
ing in Africa raises the wages of skilled mechanics 
to such an extreme height as to make it practically 
impossible for the missionary to employ them. 
Again, he has around him raw natives, who need to 
be taught to work, and his ambition is to do mission 
work in connection with his building. 

Elder Steigerwald was equal to the emergency, 
and together with the help of Brother Doner and 
the natives, he completed the house in a little over 
a year from the time he began to haul the stone. 
The house is large, having nine good-sized rooms, 
with a fireplace in each one. There is a broad 
veranda nearly all around it and an iron roof over 
the whole, and it is a building that would be a 
credit to any one. The building is high and dry 
and has good board floors in four of the rooms, 
which add much to the healthfulness of it. Brother 
Steigerwald could no doubt tell you, if he would, of 
many days of arduous toil, which threatened to 
undermine his health; of many difficult and per- 



MATOPO MISSION 133 

plexing questions which confronted him in the 
process of construction ; of lying awake at night, 
planning how everything was to be accomplished; 
especially how he was to build three fireplaces open- 
ing into one chimney and all have a good draft — a 
feat which he most successfully accomplished. 

There were natives who lightened some of the 
heavier parts of the work, but to train these to per- 
form their work properly is often a greater task 
than to do it one's self. This training must be done, 
however, if the missionary is faithful to his trust 
of developing the native character along useful 
lines as well as in giving him the Gospel. One of 
the officials, in making a report of the work, stated, 
" Here, at least, are missionaries who believe in 
teaching the natives the dignity of labor." This 
is the course pursued at all our stations. To train 
them properly is no easy task. It requires much 
wisdom, patience, firmness, and love. One meets 
with many discouraging results and often with 
great ingratitude on the part of those instructed ; 
yet in the end it pays, if natives are ever to be 
brought to a more civilized plane of living. 

There is one thing which operates strongly 
against the natives respecting labor. The average 
European, on coming to Africa, even though he 
may have been a day laborer and hard-working man 
in the country from which he came, soon sees that 
the more menial tasks fall to the natives ; and when 
he takes the hoe or pick or shovel, he is told, " We 
do not do that here. Let the nigger do it and you 
oversee." The majority do not need a second invi- 
tation, and so such work is relegated to his black 



134 AFRICA 

neighbor. The native soon sees, or thinks that he 
sees, that the white man regards manual labor as 
beneath him. This training is exactly what the 
African finds in his own home. He leaves the dis- 
tasteful and hard tasks to his wife and the younger 
members of his family, while he sits down and en- 
joys himself. He is thus confirmed in his belief that 
labor is degrading. 

Not so with the missionary. He works continu- 
ally along many lines, and seeks to teach the native 
by his example, as well as by precept, the dignity of 
labor, and that only indolence, dirt, vice, and kin- 
dred evils are degrading. It is true that on account 
of climatic conditions and the many duties falling 
continually to men and women on the mission field, 
they are obliged, as their field of labor widens, to 
leave many lines of work to the natives they have 
in training. If they did not do this the spiritual 
part of the work and their own health would greatly 
suffer in consequence. 

Perhaps some one might ask, Do those ignorant 
blacks ever learn to be cleanly and do their work 
properly? Yes, some of them respond in a surpris- 
ingly short period of time to faithful, energetic, yet 
patient training, and become real helpers to the mis- 
sionary, both in the house and outside. Some, in 
addition to handling the oxen on the farm, also learn 
to use hammer, saw, chisel, and plane, and work 
side by side with white mechanics in certain lines of 
work. 

While the house was being built at the Matopo 
Mission, Matshuba, still quite a young lad, was an 
interested spectator of everything that was done, 



MATOPO MISSION 135 

and he himself did carefully whatever he was able 
to perform. When he found a small piece of lumber 
which was not likely to be used, he would say, 
" Mufundisi [Missionary], may I have this?" If 
permission was granted he carefully put it away, 
but said nothing. After several pieces had been ob- 
tained, he asked permission to use tools and work- 
shop on Saturday afternoon, when other work was 
stopped. He worked away in the shop, asking ques- 
tions of no one. After a few weeks had passed he 
finally surprised us by showing a neatly-made chair, 
patterned after one that had been purchased in town. 
He gradually learned to do all kinds of work, as 
well as to build himself a good dwelling house. 

There are almost insurmountable difficulties, how- 
ever, in the way of teaching the trades to the na- 
tives as a means of earning money. The cry of the 
country is for industrial schools and for native 
skilled labor, but almost in the same breath the 
European will tell you that he will not work side 
by side with the native in the same line of work. 
A gentleman in Bulawayo had a contract for a fine, 
large building. His mechanics were white, while the 
blacks were the attendants. Being in need of more 
skilled labor, he sent south to the more civilized 
portion of the country for a native mechanic, and 
of course paid his way to Bulawayo. The white 
mechanics absolutely refused to work with this na- 
tive and threatened to strike. The only course left 
for the contractor was to pay the native some wages 
and his fare home. This was no heathen native, 
but one who had grown up amid civilized surround- 
ings, and no doubt his parents also were civilized. 



136 AFRICA 

We do not wish to criticise such mechanics, for 
here, in a land where the blacks so far outnumber 
the white population, there are many things to be 
considered. But with these facts staring the mis- 
sionary in the face, there is little inducement for 
him to spend a great deal of time in training na- 
tives. The only course left which will give the na- 
tive any chance at all in some sections of the country 
is for a contractor to have all native mechanics. He 
might then be employed by the more broad-minded 
Europeans, but be boycotted by others. Notwith- 
standing these difficulties, industrial training in its 
broadest sense is very important on the mission 
field, and it is encouraged by the governments. It 
enables the natives to improve their condition and 
way of living and to earn more money. 

While these changes and the industrial training 
were in progress, the intellectual and spiritual part 
of the work was not neglected. New boys were 
continually coming, and some who came during 
these years were destined to be of help in after years. 
First was Nyamzana, who began to follow the 
Lord before coming as a boarder. Although not so 
quick in books as some, yet he was a faithful and 
devoted Christian, never giving his missionaries 
any uneasiness as to his spiritual standing. There 
were also Nkwidini, Mlobeka, and Mahlenkle. The 
last named was a nephew of the late king, and he 
had begun to attend school when the Lehmans were 
teaching at the kraal of the chief. He was an ex- 
ceptional native, most steady and unassuming, 
ready and willing for any task assigned him. I 
have mentioned these names because they with oth- 



MATOPO MISSION 137 

ers already referred to were among our future evan- 
gelists and teachers. Nor do I wish to forget Kolisa, 

a son of Buka, whom we visited up in the hills. 

Not all, however, continued to remain at the mis- 
sion. Some left, never to return. Others went away to 
work for a time, that they might obtain more money 
and then return again to enter school. The new 
boys as they came generally showed a desire to 
leave their old heathen lives and become Christians. 
Others were a cause of great anxiety to us. There 
were times of heart-searching and crying out to 
God, which showed that His Spirit was still at 
work in their hearts. One after another would 
come and confess their temptations and failures, and 
ask for prayer and help that they might be more 
victorious over evil. Some would receive definite 
help and blessing, while others seemed, for some 
reason, unable to take hold of the Lord by faith. 
Often we would feel greatly encouraged over the 
progress some were making, and look forward to 
their becoming able helpers and soul-winners for 
Him, only to have our hopes and expectations sud- 
denly dashed to the ground. This was all a part 
of our training as missionaries. The Lord was teach- 
ing us by these experiences to take our eyes off in- 
dividuals and fix them upon Him. He was also 
giving us sufficient encouragement, day by day, 
through some who were steadfast, to enable us to 
realize that our labor was not in vain for the Lord. 
There were a number in the inquirers' class, and in 
July, 1902, three more were baptized by Brother 
Steigerwald. Of this number were Ndhlalambi and 
Nyamazana. 



138 AFRICA 

The attendance at school was not as satisfactory 
as could be desired. The authority of the parents 
being paramount in the home, if there was any- 
thing to be done, such as digging in the gardens, 
herding, keeping the animals from the gardens, or 
running errands, the children must stay at home and 
attend to it. An early morning school was also 
started for those who could not attend at midday, 
and this enabled some of the herdboys to attend. 

The parents were especially opposed to their 
daughters attending school, because they became 
unwilling to marry the old men to whom they were 
betrothed. As we mentioned previously, several 
girls did come to stay at the mission. One of them 
was Ganukisa, a daughter of the king. She was a 
very nice, modest girl and proved a great help in 
many ways. She also became a Christian and 
member of the Church. Another girl, Zwadini, ran 
off from home twice and came to us, imploring us 
to save her from the man her parents were forcing 
her to marry. We tried to buy her freedom, but to 
no avail, and she finally was forced to return home 
and marry the choice of her parents. At this time 
we had no right by law to interfere in these mat- 
ters, however much we longed to free some of 
these dear girls from their lives of slavery. It 
required time and prayer and much looking to God 
before a certain amount of freedom of choice was 
granted the daughters, and then it came through an 
action of the government. 

In the school some were making good progress. 
English and some other branches had been added to 
the curriculum, but the Bible continued to be the 



MATOPO MISSION 139 

chief Textbook, and some were acquiring a fair un- 
derstanding of it. Natives have generally a keen- 
ness of discernment and a clear grasp of the subject, 
so that it is necessary fur the teacher to be well 
prepared for any question that may arise. The one 
who was first at the mission was a philosopher and 
a keen thinker. Nothing seemed to escape him. I 
have heard him deliver most excellent sermons and 
bring far more out of a Sunday-school lesson than 
the ordinary teacher. One day in reading the book 
of Isaiah, he came to the eighteenth chapter. He 
knows nothing about Ethiopia, but after he had 
finished reading, I inquired what people the prophet 
referred to. He thought for a moment and then ex- 
claimed, " I believe he means us, the black people." 



CHAPTER ELEVEN 
Continuation of the Work 

Furlough 

THE missionary, however robust he may be, 
cannot keep at his work all the time ; for he 
generally works seven days in a week and 
fifty-two weeks in a year. After a few years of such 
labor it is necessary to call a halt, if one does not 
wish to break down altogether. New missionaries 
can take much of the burden, yet those who have 
something of the language and can speak to the 
people must be ready in season and out of season, to 
talk, interpret, explain, as well as to have heart-to- 
heart talks with the people. 

I had now been actively engaged on the mission 
station for four strenuous years and was greatly in 
need of a rest and change. The Board at home, as 
well as the missionaries on the field, had been urg- 
ing me to go south for a few months. The only 
difficulty in the way was the need of some one to 
take the school, and so we had been looking forward 
to the return of Brother and Sister Lehman from 
Cape Town to take charge of it. They, however, 
had been looking on the fields for mission work at 
the Compounds on Johannesburg, and had decided 
to go there. As a last resort we decided to ask 
Matshuba to do the teaching. He was capable of 
140 



MATOPO MISSION 141 

doing it, and he was also becoming aide to do some 
interpreting from English into the vernacular. 

Before this happened an event occurred which 
more or less concerned all South Africa, and espe- 
cially Rhodesia. I refer to the death, on March 26, 
1902, of Cecil Rhodes at his home, Groot Schuur, 
near Cape Town, the place where he had so kindly 
received Brother Engle on our first coming to 
Africa. It had been his request to be buried in 
Rhodesia, the country that bore his name. In the 
Matopo Hills was a beautiful spot which he had 
discovered and to which he gave the name, " View 
of the World." This is about fifteen miles from 
Matopo Mission, as the crow flies, but over twenty- 
five miles by wagon road. Here, on the summit of 
a large granite hill, in the heart of Matopo, is the 
spot he selected to be his last resting place. 

When the body was brought to Bulawayo, thou- 
sands of people, both white and black, vied with 
each other in paying a last tribute of respect to him 
who had done so much for the development of the 
country. The natives realized that they had lost a 
friend that could not be replaced ; and the white 
people believed that no one could carry out so suc- 
cessfully many of the public affairs with which he 
was associated. When the funeral procession 
reached the burial place, the heavy casket was 
raised to the top of the granite hill. Into the solid 
rock a grave had been cut, and into this the casket 
was lowered. The grave was then covered by an 
immense granite slab, on which was fastened a large 
brass plate with this inscription: " Here lie the re- 
mains of Cecil John Rhodes." 



142 AFRICA 

A part of his property was left for the improve- 
ment of the country to which he had devoted his 
time and talents. His two large estates in Rhodesia, 
together with an annuity, were bequeathed to this 
country; and his fine and well-built estate near 
Cape Town was given over for the use of the gov- 
ernment of Cape Colony, but the grounds are con- 
tinually opened to the public. The Rhodes scholar- 
ships for various countries, including two for each 
State in the United States, were given with a hope 
of cementing nations together. He wished no mon- 
ument to be erected over his grave, but near the 
place is the Shangani Monument to the memory of 
those who fell in the Matabele War. The grounds 
have been beautifully laid out and a well-built road 
extends from Bulawayo to the grave. On his estate 
at Cape Town is a granite monument seventy feet 
long, built near the seat overlooking both the At- 
lantic and the Indian Oceans, where he used to sit 
and lay his world-wide plans. There is a sad fea- 
ture connected with his life, like that of many other 
men whom the world calls great. While he made 
so much provision for earthly things, there seems to 
be no evidence that he made provision for eternity. 

During this year there also died near us a native 
who had been more or less interested in the work, 
by the name of Fusi. He had been a prominent 
soldier under King Lobengula, and also remembered 
the first king, Mzilikazi. He loved to talk about the 
good old days, and could tell of a visit that Rev. 
Moffat, the father-in-law of Livingstone, once made 
to this country. He said, " I remember Chete [Rev. 
Moffat] quite well. I was just a young man at the 



MATOPO MISSION 143 

time and King Mzilikazi treated Chete nicely. He 
said to me, ' Go and milk a cow and bring' some 
milk for the missionary.' " 

This old warrior, however, never showed any de- 
sire to become a Christian ; but he was always glad 
to have his people attend school, and his youngest 
son was one of the first communicants. The native 
finally became sick with dropsy, and when we vis- 
ited him during his sickness, he said an enemy had 
bewitched him, adding: 

" Before the white man came into the country we 
put all the witches to death and we were well. Now 
we are not allowed to kill them and we must suffer." 

Later we again visited him. When asked if we 
should sing for him, he replied, " Yes, sing one of 
the old hymns you used to sing when Missionary 
Engle was alive." We did so, and he too joined his 
quavering voice in the chorus. He also listened 
most attentively to the Scripture reading and com- 
ments that day, and joined us in prayer. What 
thoughts these things stirred in his heart we know 
not, for that was the last time we saw him. 

In July of this year the time finally came for our 
furlough. I took a ticket from Bulawayo south to 
Port Elizabeth. This was shortly after the close 
of the Boer War, and all along the railway in the 
south were to be seen the blockhouses erected to 
guard the railway from destruction. Here and there 
were the demolished farmhouses and the orchards 
and beautiful groves that had been leveled to the 
ground. Worst of all were the many graves — mute 
testimony to that saddest of all human employment, 
human butchery. Kimberley already was recover- 



144 AFRICA 

ing from this terrible siege. This was still a small 
town, its chief attraction being the great masses of 
blue earth surrounding it. This diamondiferous 
blue rock is mined far down in the earth, where it 
had been formed under great pressure ; and when 
brought to the surface, the combined action of rain 
and sun slakes it somewhat like quicklime. It is 
then washed, which removes the lighter earth, leav- 
ing the diamonds and other precious stones. 

From this place I went to Port Elizabeth, which 
is 1,200 miles south of Bulawayo. It is the principal 
seaport of Cape Colony, as it furnishes a shorter 
and more direct route into the interior than Cape 
Town does. This is a town of about 35,000 inhab- 
itants, but there is nothing especially inviting about 
the place except its thriving business. It has been 
said of it : " Out of sand-hills and scrub, Anglo- 
Saxon energy has created a town that, for cleanli- 
ness and health, and for the handsomeness of its 
business buildings, is second to none in South Afri- 
ca." After a stay of a few days at this place I took 
the steamer Norman Castle for Durban, where the 
greater part of my vacation was to be spent. 

Durban is the seaport and largest town of Natal, 
and has nearly 70,000 inhabitants. The business 
part is low and often quite hot, but the part known 
as the Berea is high and cool, and has many fine 
dwelling houses. Natal is more thickly populated 
than other parts of South Africa. It has a most 
luxuriant vegetation and varied and picturesque 
scenery, and well deserves the appellation, " Garden 
of South Africa." In this warm, moist, subtropical 
climate of the coast many delicious and tropical 



MATOPO MISSION 145 

fruits are grown. This is the home of the Zulu 
tribe of Africans, of which the Matabele arc a 
branch. 

My special purpose in coming to this section of 
the country to rest was to make my furlough as prof- 
itable as possible, and to gain information helpful for 
mission work. Missionaries had been in this sec- 
tion of the country the greater part of the nineteenth 
century. The American Board had started their 
work some time in the '30s, and this formed an 
excellent opportunity of seeing some of the fruits 
of missionary labors. 

I spent some time at an English Mission under 
Mr. Eyles at Imbezana, at a Free Methodist Mis- 
sion and girls' school, Fairview, and at four missions 
of the American Board — a boys' school at Adams, 
a large girls' school at Inanda, and one at Umzumbi, 
and also visited their work at Durban, in charge of 
Rev. Bridgeman. At all these places I was most 
hospitably entertained and given every opportunity 
for studying the work. It was an inspiration to see 
what God had wrought among these erstwhile 
heathen. Here were large boarding-schools, and na- 
tives living like white people in neat brick houses, 
built by themselves. Here were missionaries, like 
Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. Bridgeman, grown old in 
this soul-saving work, and yet so attached to the 
natives and the work that they could not think of 
leaving the country. 

Natal, like Cape Colony and the Transvaal, can no 
longer be called heathen Africa, as so many of the 
natives are civilized. The large cities of white peo- 
ple are built in modern style, with all the latest im- 



146 AFRICA 

provements, electric lights, street cars, telephones, 
and the like, and since then automobiles. There are 
also many white farmers, as well as small towns of 
white people, throughout the country. Missionaries 
of many societies are here in this densely-populated 
and easily-accessible district of Natal. This is con- 
sidered one of the greatest fields for the overlapping 
of missionaries, perhaps, to be found anywhere, yet 
all seem to have plenty to do. 

With all the advantages for improvement which 
the Africans here possess, I was surprised to meet, 
within a mile or two of one of the oldest mission 
stations, natives with paint and grease, and when 
the evangelists go to the homes of the people they 
still find some raw heathen. Some not only do not 
and will not accept Christ, but they also prefer their 
dirty, indolent, ignorant way of living to that in- 
troduced by civilization. 

At Durban I took the train to go north to Johan- 
nesburg, a distance of 480 miles. The war had been 
over for some time, yet it was still necessary to pro- 
cure a pass to enter Johannesburg. This I procured 
through Brother Lehman, who was then at Johan- 
nesburg. People were flocking thither as fast as 
they could procure passes and trains to carry them. 
The trains were crowded every day, and one was 
obliged to book ahead in order to secure a seat. 
This ride to Johannesburg is a delightful one, so far 
as the scenery is concerned, but the winding rail- 
road is exceedingly rough and uncomfortable. One 
passes through a landscape most beautiful and va- 
ried, from the green, grassy hills of the coast, 
through mountains and valleys, to the high, rolling 



MATOPO MISSION 147 

veldt of the Rand, where .the famous gold reefs of 
South Africa are to be found. In this journey one 
leaves the sea level at Durban and gradually rises 
to the height of 6,000 feet at Johannesburg. It is 
said of this place : " In 1886 the site was nothing 
but a bleak, bare plain, that could have been bought 
for one hundred pounds. Then came the discovery 
of gold reefs east and west for sixty miles, and 
stores, public buildings, and churches sprang up 
with marvelous rapidity." This is now the largest, 
richest, and most modern city of South Africa, and 
the Rand is this sixty miles of gold-reef mines. 

At these mines are many thousands of natives 
from all parts of South Africa, and when they are 
not at work they are confined in large enclosures 
known as " Compounds." This furnishes the mis- 
sionary an excellent opportunity of doing mission 
work among this conglomerate mass of natives. The 
great variety of languages is one hindrance in the 
way, but if the missionary is able to speak one of 
the chief divisions of the Bantu family of languages, 
such as the Zulu, he can generally find some native 
to interpret for him into other languages. 

In this mission field we found our beloved co- 
laborers, Brother and Sister Isaac Lehman, who had 
just come from Cape Town and were becoming set- 
tled in their new home. A dear little girl, Faith, had 
come to bless their home and cheer their hearts. 
Brother Jacob Lehmans also were engaged in mis- 
sion work here, as well as our dear Sister Swanson 
(nee Hershey), who had left us at Cape Town to 
come to this place. As our Board had no mission 
station here at that time, these were all laboring in 



148 AFRICA 

connection with an undenominational mission in 
charge of Mr. A. W. Baker. All were actively en- 
gaged in mission work. It is a broad field and is a 
great opportunity for giving the Gospel to the 
heathen. However, one has the same obstacles to 
encounter as in the native village, i. e., the indif- 
ference of the people. While we would be having a 
service in one part of the Compound, other natives 
would be dancing within sight in another part, and 
often be making such a noise as to disturb the meet- 
ing. One difficulty with the work is that the na- 
tives often remain at the mines only six months or 
a year, not sufficiently long to get them established. 
Much good is, however, being done ; schools are es- 
tablished to teach the natives when they are not 
at work, and services are held regularly at various 
places. Natives, accepting the Light, carry it to 
other parts of Africa, and sometimes become teach- 
ers of their people. 

After spending a most enjoyable month at this 
place I again returned to Matopo Mission, after an 
absence of three and one-half months. It was a 
pleasure to get back to the old battle ground, for 
it was still the most beautiful spot on earth and its 
people the dearest. Great changes had taken place 
during our absence. Then the foundation of the 
house had been laid and the brick burnt, but now 
an imposing structure met the eye and the house 
was rapidly being completed. It looked as if the 
missionaries had come to stay and were to have a 
comfortable place to live in. 

The school was progressing favorably under Mat- 
shuba's management, and all parts of the work 



MATOPO MISSION 



149 



seemed encouraging. As there was continually 
some difficulty about the stability of some of the 
industrial pupils, it was decided to divide the school 
year into two terms of five months each, with a 
month's vacation intervening in which the pupils 
could return home if they so desired. This worked 
well and seemed more satisfactory to all. The one 
who had been teaching was retained as pupil teacher 
and was also permitted to take advanced work. 




ains of Cecil John Rhode 



There was again opportunity for me to visit in 
their homes. So, accompanied by some of the boys 
or girls, we made long excursions on foot among 
the people, sometimes walking from eight to twelve 
miles and meeting many people. Because so many 
missionaries had left them and did not return, they 
were not a little pleased to see me back, and, native- 
like, were inclined to make flattering speeches. One 
day we visited nine kraals, and everywhere had at- 



150 AFRICA 

tentive listeners, and the people seemed to be hun- 
gry for the Word. At another time we went to 
Sibula's village for the first time, where we met and 
gave the Gospel to over one hundred people. They 
had never been visited before and seemed anxious 
for a school. Later they built a schoolhouse, and 
Nyamzana was given to them as a teacher. 

One day when we were out to the kraals we hap- 
pened to come to a beer drink, where they were 
having a digging-bee. 

They said, " Why does not Missionary Steiger- 
wald invite the people to come and dig his large 
gardens? He is so busy with building." 

"Will you come if he invites you?" we asked. 

" Certainly we will," they replied. 

W 7 hen we reached home we told Brother Steiger- 
wald what they said, and he at once thought it a 
splendid opportunity for getting his corn planted. 
So he appointed a day and sent out invitations to 
the people. One hundred and sixty-four adults 
with their hoes came and digged and planted an 
eight or ten-acre lot. It was an interesting sight to 
see that many people digging in one place. They 
would usually sing a native song, and with their 
hoes keep time to the music. They performed this 
piece of work without pay, and of course received 
no beer, but a generous supply of bread and tea was 
furnished them, which they greatly enjoyed. These 
Matabele are always very ready to come out to 
work when invited, and in this respect they were a 
contrast to some natives.. When hired to do work, 
however, it was necessary to make them keep their 



MATOPO MISSION 151 

promise and come at the time appointed, and also 
finish their wurk. 

Sister Steigerwald was much amused at Sibon- 
gamanzi shortly after she came to the mission. My 
hut needed replastering, and Sibongamanzi was en- 
gaged to do the work. "The appointed day arrived, 
but the girl did not come according to her promise, 
and as the work was urgent I employed another girl 
to do it. The next day- Sibongamanzi came to do 
the work and was quite disappointed to find some 
one else had accomplished it. 

I said, " Why did you not come yesterday accord- 
ing to your promise? " 

" I am sure a person has a right to change her 
mind," she replied. 

" Yes, I think so, too, so I employed some one 
else." 

In school one is obliged to use the English word 
for such articles as slate, pencil, and paper, since 
there is no word in the language for these things, 
When Steigerwalds came, there were also a number 
of boxes of goods sent out ; and in unpacking these 
a pencil fell out. Sister Steigerwald picked it up, 
and handing it to Masikwa, said, " Here is a pencil." 
He was most delighted, and came and said, " The 
Inkosikazi [Mrs.] can speak our language already. 
She said ' Pencil.' " Sister Steigerwald, together 
with the other sisters, had their own experiences in 
teaching natives in the kitchen and housework, as 
well as in sewing. She proved most capable and 
patient in training various ones to be cleanly and to 
do their work properly. 

The services at the mission were well attended at 



152 AFRICA 

this time, and sometimes we were obliged to have 
an overflow meeting. Natives would come fifteen 
miles to be present at the Sunday services. " Our 
little church is too small," said some. " We need a 
new one." 

Our congregations were gradually emerging from 
barbarism, and their appearance on Sunday was 
often quite striking. Some of the boys and young 
men would come, clean and neatly dressed in Euro- 
pean clothes, including hat and shoes, and exhibit 
good taste in the selection of their clothing. Some 
again came well dressed but without shoes; others 
would appear partly dressed, but anxious to display 
all the clothing they had. Perhaps on a sweltering, 
hot day some would don a heavy winter overcoat 
reaching below the knees, or a heavy suit of bright 
red flannel. Another would have on a coat turned 
wrong side out to show all the colors, and a vest 
outside of this, while a number continued to wear 
the purely native garb of skins. A few of the 
girls were neatly clothed in dresses ; others in short 
skirts with or without a cloth thrown over their 
shoulders. Some of the women's clothing was very 
modest and picturesque. 

Natives, especially at this stage of their advance- 
ment, do not as a rule dress according to the weath- 
er, for to them clothing is more or less a matter of 
ornamentation and they don it accordingly. One 
must be very careful about placing special emphasis 
upon clothing, as the native is naturally vain, and 
when he is able to be better clothed his vanity often 
increases. He soon thinks that if he is clothed he is 
a Christian, or if he goes to school and learns he is 



MATOPO MISSION 153 

a Christian. He is quite ready to put on these out- 
ward semblances of eivilization without yielding 
himself to God. If the missionary is willing to ac- 
cept the outward form of Christianity, whether of 
clothing or ceremonials, he may soon have a large 
membership, lie must continually guard against 
these things, and seek to know the inner life of 
those about him, and their daily walk ; nor is it al- 
ways easy to ascertain what is beneath the sur- 
face. Hypocrisy is not at all unusual. 

Early in our work there was a native who came 
occasionally to our services. He had worked in 
Bulawayo and attended one of the native churches 
sufficiently long to gain a smattering and lingo of 
Christianity. He came clothed in black broadcloth 
and carrying a book under his arm, and withal 
seemed a person of some consequence. He was a 
brother of one of our boys, and we were informed 
that he could read. One day in church, at the close 
of the services, he asked permission to say some- 
thing, and not knowing what was coming we gave 
him permission. He arose and began to read out 
of his book and then talked. Again he read and 
talked in a preaching way until he was finally re- 
quested to sit down. As we were suspicious from 
his manner in regard to his ability to read, we took 
occasion to test him and found that he knew abso- 
lutely nothing about reading. What he gave had 
been memorized, and we learned that his life too 
was decidedly corrupt. This taught us how neces- 
sary it was to be careful of the stranger who came 
and claimed to be a Christian. 

December 26, 1902, there was a most welcome ad- 



154 AFRICA 

dition to the mission family in the person of a little 
son to Brother and Sister Doner. This was the first 
white child at the mission, and it was quite a curi- 
osity to the natives. Of course every one must have 
a look at it, and happy was the one who might touch 
or hold this wonderful white baby. 



CHAPTER TWELVE 
Looking on the Fields 

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then com- 
eth harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, 
and look on the fields; for they are white already to 
harvest. — St. John 4: 35. 

WE moved into the new house early in 1903. 
This left the huts empty, for our increas- 
ing family of boys. As soon as the rains 
were over for this year, Brother and Sister Steiger- 
wald and myself felt led to make a tour of explora- 
tion in the interests of the work. Matopo Hills or 
Mountains extend northeast and southwest for a 
distance of about sixty miles. Between the hills 
and Bulawayo there is a mission station and work 
had been carried on for some years, although there 
were at this time man}^ raw natives to be seen. 
Through the hills and south for a long distance 
there were as yet no missionaries except our own, 
and as our mission was on the north side of the 
hills, we desired to go through them and explore 
some of the south side. 

In June we arranged to make the trip, taking our 
large wagon on which was a canvas top, which was 
drawn by donkeys, consequently progress was slow. 
Three of our boys accompanied us. We were 
obliged to go west about nine miles before a road 
could be found leading through the hills. This 
" 155 



156 AFRICA 

wagon road was exceedingly rough and stony and 
very little traveled, and the donkeys slowly wended 
their way in and out among the hills which con- 
tinually surrounded us and seemed to close us in. 
Frequently as the immense piles of rock seemed to 
stretch across our path in front and bar further 
progress, we would be led to exclaim, " Truly, there 
is no way out of this," but on we went and the way 
continued to open. 

The tediousness of the journey was relieved by 
the exceeding beauty of the scenery as it gradually 
unfolded before our eyes. In the first of the trip 
are to be seen the immense bald hills of solid gran- 
ite, similar to some in the vicinity of the mission. 
Soon the scene changes and the eye is greeted on 
every side by lofty ridges, consisting of immense 
boulders piled up in all sorts of fantastic shapes, by 
the Great Architect, and from out of every possible 
crevice grow trees and shrubbery of all sorts. The 
dark green of the foliage, interspersed with the 
varying shades of grey, yellow, red, and green of 
the rock, forms a picture of surpassing loveliness. 
Baboons, large and small, would make their ap- 
pearance on the jutting rocks, as we passed along, 
and bark at these intruders into their peaceful do- 
main. 

As the hills abounded in game, and Elder Steiger- 
wald was a good shot, we did not want for meat on 
the journey. So, while the donkeys were grazing, 
fires would be built and pot roasts and many sorts 
of delectable dishes would be prepared and eaten 
with relish. Natives are generally happy if they 



MATOPO MISSION 157 

have plenty of meat to eat; so on this journey Te- 
bengo declared that they would be longing for the 
fleshpots of Egypt when they returned to the mis- 
sion. Next to meat, their favorite dish was Graham 
flour made into a loaf by means of water and a little 
salt, then baked in the hot ashes. 

South of the hills we left the beaten track, which 
proceeds east to Gwanda, and started south to the 
open country, which is known as Mapani Land, 
named from the large amount of excellent hardwood 
Mapani trees which grow here. Very few na- 
tives were seen on the journey through the hills, 
but in this rich, open plain of the south there were 
numerous kraals. The natives received us gladly 
and readily consented to have services ; and as there 
were, no missionaries in this part of the country, 
many of the people had the privilege of hearing for 
the first time the Story of the Cross. On this trip 
we came to the home of Holi, a rich and prominent 
native. His wife is a daughter of King Lobengula 
and a sister of Ganukisa, who lived at the mission. 
Here we were very kindly received and Holi pre- 
sented Elder Steigerwald with a fine fat sheep. 

From this point we turned west and north through 
the hills by a different route. Along the way we 
visited some places of interest, especially the " View 
of the World," where Mr. Rhodes was buried. 
Thence we proceeded east and south to the mission. 
We had been absent about two weeks, had traveled 
over one hundred miles, and had had a most pleas- 
ant and profitable trip. It had also been a change 
from the labor and routine of the station. 



158 AFRICA 

Brother and Sister Doner had for some time 
been contemplating opening another station, and 
they concluded during this dry season also to make 
a tour and explore the country, as well as do evan- 
gelistic work. They made preparations to spend 
a month in this way, taking the wagon and several 
boys. Little Oliver, who was then only seven 
months old, also went along, thus early in his life 
learning what trekking in Africa meant. 

They went south over the same route we had 
taken, and it was on this trip, if I mistake not, that 
the present site of Mapani Mission was selected. 
They spent a very delightful month and came home 
quite enthusiastic over the prospects of opening a 
new work and eager to launch out at once. Permis- 
sion did not come from the Board, however, in time 
to open that dry season, and the work had to be 
postponed another year. 

During this year word came that one member of 
the Executive Board had passed " over the river." 
Dear father died the latter part of March. It was 
a double loss to some of us ; for we should now miss 
not only his fatherly letters, but the wise counsel 
that he gave in his capacity as a member of the 
Mission Board. He always seemed to have such a 
keen insight into the work, and wrote about it as if 
he had been on the field and knew exactly our sur- 
roundings. 

The work at the mission continued to go along as 
usual, and two more united with the Church, and 
everyone found plenty of profitable employment. 
One feature of the work, not yet mentioned, but 
which always requires much of the missionaries' 



MATOPO MISSION 



159 



time, is medical work and the care of the sick. The 
natives accept the miracles of healing, mentioned 
in the Scriptures, without question, and the sick 
frequently asked the prayers of the missionaries. 
There were several instances of remarkable cases 
of healing without the application of medicine, when 
the native could be led to take hold of the Lord by 




Matopo Mission Church. Built by Elder 
Steigerwald in 1905. 



faith. On one occasion a native came for Elder 
Engle, from a kraal about five miles distant, where a 
woman was very sick and had eaten nothing for sev- 
eral days. She was very low indeed and seemingly 
unconscious of what was going on about her and 
her friends were weeping. Brother Engle felt led 
to anoint her and pray for her. The next day they 
came to say that the woman was much better and 
was eating, and they declared that the missionary 
had raised her from the dead. 



160 AFRICA 

At another time one of our Christian girls was 
sick with such a disease that we knew we could not 
help her, and she desired prayer. We granted her 
request and she was healed immediately, even to 
our surprise. Some time after Brother Doner had 
come, an elderly native was quite ill with lung 
trouble, and his people had been trying in every way 
to heal him. They appealed to us, so we made the 
case a special subject of prayer and he was healed 
immediately, and told everyone that Jesus had 
healed him. A mother also wished us to pray for 
her child, who was very ill and seemed ready to die 
at any minute ; it too was healed at once. Other 
instances of help might be cited ; but we give these, 
because we see that He is the same Christ yet to- 
day and often shows His power, saying unto the 
sick, "According to your faith be it unto you." 

Why He does not always choose to manifest His 
power in this way I know not. I am giving things 
as I found them. At first we were more or less loth 
to use medicine, and some of the early losses may 
have been owing to this fact. We believe also that 
He receives honor in helping the missionary make 
use of remedies to relieve the suffering of the sick. 
With the natives sickness is always the result of 
witchcraft or the influence of their ancestral spirits. 
If one can by means of remedies, under the blessing 
of God, show them that this is not true, he is doing 
much to overthrow some of their superstitious be- 
liefs. So the sick are visited in their homes and 
ministered to, and many come to the mission for 
treatment. Sometimes the disease may be such as 
will not yield to treatment, but the gentle sympathy 



MATOPO MISSION 



161 




162 AFRICA 

and the delicacy for the appetite are always much 
appreciated, even from some sources least expected. 
The missionary necessarily becomes physician and 
nurse to his people, and it brings him into contact 
with them and relieves their sufferings and thus 
paves the way for ministering to their spiritual 
needs. He who neglects this part of the work makes 
a grave mistake. Many missionaries, who had done 
little medical work at home, have by a willingness 
and desire to learn, become quite proficient in heal- 
ing on the mission field. 

Elder Steigerwald has been much used in this 
line of work. Many and various cases have been 
treated by him most successfully. In addition to 
the sick who come for medicine, there are generally 
some who remain for a time at the mission to be 
treated. 

During this dry season, as usual, kraal visiting 
occupied much of my time outside of school hours, 
and many long and enjoyable trips were made to all 
the villages surrounding us. During these journeys 
the Lord was also reminding His messenger of some 
things that had been almost forgotten. He was 
showing the large fields yet beyond where the peo- 
ple were in pagan darkness and the Light of Life 
had not yet penetrated, and where missionaries and 
teachers were greatly needed. 

The reader of these pages will remember that our 
call had been to the far interior of Africa, where 
Christ had not been named. When Matopo Mission 
was started it was felt that here was my place to 
begin work, but that the time would come when the 
Lord wanted me to press on farther in the interior. 



MATOPO MISSION 



163 







<A 















164 AFRICA 

This thought kept following me, and in the second 
year of our work at Matopo, on my speaking to a 
friend of the call to press on farther, the question 
was asked, " You do not intend to go alone, do 
you? " My reply was, " No, I do not think that will 
be necessary. Perhaps the Lord will raise up others 
who desire to go beyond the Zambezi." Also, while 
Brother and Sister Van Blunk were at Matopo, the 
question of going north was often mentioned, for 
their eyes were likewise looking in that direction. 

As time went on, however, and the work at Mat- 
opo increased, I entered more and more deeply into 
it and became absorbed in my surroundings. The 
children and also the older people occupied a large 
place in my heart and crowded out for the time 
being all thought of anything else. The Lord had 
to take His own way of cutting me loose and again 
lifting up my eyes to the fields beyond, and I could 
not doubt but that His time was near at hand. On 
the other hand, what a struggle it was to be willing 
to leave these ! He, however, showed me most 
strikingly one day that when I was willing to lose 
these children there were others waiting to be 
found ; and when the work was given into His hands, 
He accomplished that which to me was impossible, 

First, the pushing out of the work must be pre- 
sented to the Board and the home Church and their 
consent and aid solicited. Permission was given to 
return to America, and as Conference drew near, 
it seemed as if the Lord's time had come for me to 
do this. Together with my colaborers, we made it 
a special subject of prayer, and felt that I was to 
start at once. So, on March 25, 1904, I left the mis- 



MATOPO MISSION 165 

sion for America. Sister Emma Doner, as she bade 
me good-bye, said weeping, "If 1 did not know of 
a truth that it was the Lord's will for you to go at 
this time I could not say good-bye." That was the 
last time I was permitted to look into her dear face. 
Brother and Sister Steigerwald, together with sev- 
eral of the boys, accompanied me to Bulawayo, 
where I took the train for Cape Town. 

I shall not dwell on the events of that journey to 
America, for many things connected with it are too 
sacred to find way into public print. It is sufficient 
to say that it was a time of severe sifting and test- 
ing, but of such sweet fellowship with the Father, 
that I would not blot it out of my life, if I could. I 
learned, in truth, what that meant, " With God all 
things are possible." After it was over one of God's 
children greatly desired to hear of the trip home, and 
when told, he was quiet for a time; then he said, 
" I believe it was God's preparation for going far- 
ther into the interior. I believe the way will open." 

America was reached just in time for Conference 
in Ontario. We were sorry to learn that Elder S. 
Zook, the Treasurer of the Foreign Mission Board, 
had in the meantime passed away in February. We 
greatly missed him who had always been such an 
able pillar in the Church and missionary work, for 
his farsightedness and wise counsel had smoothed 
the way in many a difficulty. The old fathers were 
thus passing away and the work was devolving upon 
younger shoulders, but they were equal to the task. 
The Executive Board now consisted of Brethren 
J. R. Zook, Chairman ; Eli M. Engle, Secretary ; and 
Peter Climenhage, Treasurer, two of whom had 



166 AFRICA 

been connected with the foreign missionary work 
from its inception. 

A report of the work from the field met with, an 
enthusiastic reception, and it was requested that 
the churches all be visited and an account of the 
mission work be given. Permission was also grant- 
ed for an appeal to be made for pressing the work 
on into the interior, both for workers and funds. 

In the meantime Miss Sallie Kreider had gone to 
Africa to engage in mission work, and Elder and 
Mrs. John Meyers and Miss Lydia Heise had also 
gone there on a visit. Brother and Sister Doner, 
with some of the mission boys, had gone to Mapani 
to open a mission station in August, 1904. At first 
Brother Doner was troubled with fever, and much 
of the hut building fell to Ndhlalambi ; then Sister 
Doner became quite ill, and Sister Kreider hastened 
down to assist in caring for her, but she passed 
away. Thus three precious lives had been sacrificed 
for the people and the work. Brother Doner was 
desirous of taking the body and laying it by the 
side of the others at Matopo. This was unusual in 
a hot climate like this, where interment is usually 
attended to at once, and the natives too object to 
carrying a dead body, so there was much parleying 
before they would consent to take hold of the bier 
and carry it. The way over the hills was much 
shorter, but it was also much more difficult. It was 
an exceedingly trying journey for all of them, and 
only the grace of God could have sustained them 
through it; but Brother Doner had the comfort and 
satisfaction of seeing his loved one resting in the 



MATOPO MISSION 167 

little cemetery beside Sister Cress and Brother 
Engle. 

Sister Doner's stay of over three years in Africa 
was almost a continual struggle, one might say, 
against disease, and heroically she bore up under it. 
Her constitution was naturally not very rugged, and 
this malarial climate aggravated her disease, as it 
is sure to do with any one who is not strong. She 
was afraid to write home and inform her friends of 
the condition of her health, lest they should insist 
upon her return to America, and that she did not 
desire. She loved the work among the heathen, and 
we believe she had her desire in laying down her 
life in their behalf, rather than return to America 
where she might have lived for a longer time. Lit- 
tle Oliver continued to thrive, but as Brother Don- 
er's health was great impaired, it was deemed ad- 
visable that he return to America on furlough and, 
after placing Oliver with friends, regain his own 
health. So in the spring of 1905 he left for America, 
and Ndhlalambi was left to care for the work just 
started at Mapani. 

In America the work was progressing; a number 
had volunteered for the foreign field, and four were 
ready to go to Africa at once ; these being Mr. and 
Mrs. Harvey Frey and Misses Adda Engle and 
Abbie Bert. Over $2,000 had been donated toward 
pushing the work on into the interior. This was 
offered to the Mission Board, but they concluded 
that it was best to leave it in our hands toward the 
opening of the work. Of the four new missionaries 
who were going to Africa, none were pledged to the 



168 AFRICA 

interior work except Sister Engle, but we still hoped 
others would be ready to go. 

We reached Matopo Mission August 1, 1905, and 
rejoiced that the Lord permitted us again to return. 
Some very noticeable changes had taken place dur- 
ing our absence : Brother Steigerwald had been 
busy making improvements, and a fine, large brick 
church, with an iron roof, had been erected. This 




Mapani Mission, 1907. 

was much needed and it added greatly to the ap- 
pearance of the mission premises. The women, 
about eighty in number, gladly offered their services 
free to put in a fine polished earthen floor. A num- 
ber of the class members had been baptized, and 
Matshuba was doing well in the schoolroom, where 
Sister Kreider was also doing some teaching. 

Ndhlalambi had been holding on faithfully at 
Mapani Mission. A number there had accepted 
Christ and he had formed them into a class for in- 
struction. It was thought advisable for Sister Engle 
and myself to spend the remainder of the dry sea- 



MATOPO MISSION 169 

son at Mapani and help in the work there, so we 
turned our laces in that direction. We were there 
two months and helped in the various lines of work 
and visited some of the people in the surrounding 
neighborhood. Some of the converts were very en- 
couraging at that place. At the time in which the 
rains usually open we returned to Alatopo. On the 
way down we had gone by wagon road, but on our 
return four donkeys had been sent down, two for 
pack saddles and the other two for Sister Engle and 
me to ride, and two boys came along to assist in the 
homeward journey. 

We left Mapani Mission at sunrise and took the 
shorter journey across the hills, the same path along . 
which they had carried the body of Sister Doner 
the year previous. It was a most difficult trip for 
us and we had to marvel how they could have pos- 
sibly made the journey. We were obliged to stop 
on the way and let the donkeys graze and eat, and 
did not reach the hills proper until afternoon. As 
the climbing was difficult and there were many trees 
and shrubs growing out from between the rocks, 
it was difficult for us to keep our seats, so we dis- 
mounted and walked. The pack saddles would fre- 
quently be nearly brushed off the other donkeys. 
Once one of the donkeys in attempting to go up a 
steep rock fell back and became fast in the rocks. 
The boys removed the load and carried it up ; they 
then extricated the donkey and after much per- 
suasion got it on the rock and again placed on the 
load. By the time we reached the summit, darkness 
had overtaken us and we were obliged to make the 
descent in the dark. We knew not where we were 



170 



AFRICA 




Kwidine Taking - His Aunt to Church. 
Matopo M. Hospital. 



MATOPO MISSION 



171 



going, and were frequently in danger of broken 
limbs or becoming fast in the rocks. \Yc were 
very thankful when at last at eleven o'clock we 
reached the mission without any serious accident. 
This was one of Sister Engle's first experiences in 
Africa, but from her composure through it all one 
would judge that she expected such things. 




Ndhlalambi remained on at the work in Mapani 
most of the time for one and one-half years, and 
when Brother Doner at last returned there were 
some nearly ready for baptism. Not long after- 
wards thirteen were baptized there and proved 
faithful Christians. 

Brother and Sister Steigerwald had now had four 
very strenuous years of work at Matopo and were in 



172 AFRICA 

need of a change. So, while the new workers were 
at Matopo, the way was opened for them to go to 
Cape Town over the rainy season. Here they had a 
good rest and returned in April, 1906, quite re- 
freshed, ready to take up their duties at their station. 
Brother Doner also returned from America at the 
same time and was ready to resume work at Mapani. 
There had been some pupils attending school at 
Matopo Mission, from Mtshabezi Valley, south of 
the hills, but about fifteen miles east of Brother 
Doner's station. These had strongly urged that a 
mission be planted in their midst. Brother Steiger- 
wald promised them to consider the matter, and at 
the opening of the dry season Brother Frey went to 
see that part of the country. He was much pleased 
with the outlook and felt led to open work there. 
This is the origin of Mtshabezi Mission which was 
started in July, 1906. The phenomenal success at- 
tending that work since helps to confirm the belief 
that it was a work of the Lord's own planting. 



CHAPTER THIRTEEN 

The Religion of the Matabele and Subject 
Tribes 

IN order to understand a people properly one 
must know something of their religious beliefs; 
for all the important actions of their lives rest 
upon their religion. Find out what a person be- 
lieves and you have a pretty good idea of his char- 
acter. A native is loth to talk about his religion, 
and will, unless he fully understands and trusts the 
questioner, often evade answering directly questions 
asked upon this subject. It is somewhat difficult to 
dissociate the religious beliefs of the Matabele from 
those of the first inhabitants of the country, as the 
two are so closely interwoven. 

It would seem that all the natives, with whom we 
have come into contact, have some conception of a 
God, however vague that conception may be. They 
do not as a rule discuss Him and His attributes 
among themselves, and so differ greatly in the at- 
tributes ascribed to Him. They often prefer to deal 
with and worship the lesser spirits, especially the 
shades of their ancestors with whom they are some- 
what familiar, than a great God Whom they do not 
know and Whom they fear, for the shades they think 
can intercede for them. The native is really very 
religious, but prefers to take that religion found 
ready to hand rather than to make an attempt to 
fathom that which he does not understand. 
173 



174 AFRICA 

The Matabele when asked who their god is will 
readily respond that it is the King Umzilikazi. They 
say, " He gave us the country and everything we 
have, and our customs and laws, and him we wor- 
ship." This can be easily understood from the be- 
lief of the Zulu tribe, of which this is a branch. The 
Zulu will say that Umkulukulu (the oldest or first 
one) is the one to be worshiped, as he gave all the 
rest their religion and customs. As their ideas of 
worship were very elastic, there was no difficulty in 
including other departed spirits in the list of those 
worshiped. All who left them could intercede for 
them in the spirit world ; hence, when the old queen 
was buried, the woman who washed her face just 
before burial said, " Go in peace and speak a good 
word for us to the king, and to those who have gone 
before, so that we too may find a place and not be 
found fault with." 

This very fact, that their religious beliefs are so 
elastic, makes missionary work often the more diffi- 
cult and discouraging among them. They will quite 
readily accept the God one preaches, and Christ as 
the Savior of men, but to their way of thinking this 
does not interfere with their worship. This fact 
was forcibly thrust upon me one day in coming to a 
kraal near the mission that had been frequently 
visited. The people here had much light and often 
came to the services, and their son Masikwa was a 
baptized member. On this occasion we found the 
older people worshiping the spirits, and said to the 
woman, 

"How is this? We thought that you worshiped 
the Lord Jesus." 



MATOPO MISSION 175 

" Oh ! yes, we do," she replied, "He is the Big 
Spirit and we worship Him too." 

It was not at all difficult for her to include Him 
among the number of spirits to be worshiped. She 
was willing to accept all who might be able to help 
them, and even give Him a large place alongside of 
the others. The fact that He had been on earth and 
died only added to the conception that He was like 
the rest. The force of the resurrection idea she had 
not grasped. It wall be readily seen how difficult it 
is to inculcate the idea of one Supreme Being Who 
alone should be worshiped, and Who is a jealous 
God and will brook no rivals. 

On the other hand, the belief in an intercessor 
has its useful side in giving them the Gospel, for 
we endeavor to impress upon their minds that Christ 
is the Great Intercessor, Who " ever liveth to make 
intercession for them," a risen Savior, not a dead 
One. The great question here is, " Intercede for 
what?" Sins they do not claim to have. To them 
religion has nothing to do with morals, for neither 
if they live pure moral lives are they the better, nor 
if they are base and licentious are they worse when 
they come to die. The spirits whom they worship 
are of their own conception and have the same 
loves and hates. As Mr. J. W. Jack says : " Down 
all the ages to the present time so frightful have 
been the abysses of depravity, the intolerable cruel- 
ty, the extravagances of nameless lust associated 
with religion, that if the veil were lifted, Christian- 
ity could not bear the story." The raw native will 
tell you that lying, stealing, murder, and adultery 



176 AFRICA 

are bad, but they do not look upon these as having 
anything to do with their religion. 

Again, the very fact that they are so tolerant in 
their religious views, and so ready to include all, 
led the Matabele early in their history to adopt the 
religion of the conquered tribes. The oldest and, 
to them, the most powerful and most widely-wor- 
shiped of these heathen deities was Umlimo. This 
was the name of one worshiped by the Makalanga. 
He was supposed to have his abode in the Matopo 
Hills, several of which places are still pointed out. 
If one may judge from the information received 
from the natives, the worship greatly resembled 
that of the ancient Greek oracles. When any 
important question of the tribe was in need of 
solution, or even when individual questions arose, 
they would go to the hill or cave in which the 
Umlimo was supposed to have his dwelling 
place, carry a present, perhaps of beer, meat, or 
other food, and, placing it on the rock, remove to a 
respectful distance and then make known their 
wants. They said the answer would come from the 
very depths of the earth. 

It is said: "The answer was given by means of 
ventriloquism and, as the speaker was inside the 
cave and invisible, the voice appeared to the in- 
quirer to issue from the very bowels of the earth. 
The extreme ingenuity of the device will be better 
appreciated when it is known that the spirits of the 
departed are universally believed by the natives to 
dwell in an under world. For a ventriloquist to 
practice his calling as a diviner in the foregoing 
manner is probably not unworthy of that oracle 



MATOPO MISSION 177 

which Socrates himself felt it necessary to consult at 
Delphi." 

In this way the}' would inquire as to the cause of 
drought, rinderpest among the cattle, locusts, and 
the like, and they were told that these came through 
the white man. In speaking of their worship some 
would acknowledge that a priest dw r elt in the cave 
and received their offerings, and that he would con- 
sult Umlimo and give forth the answer in sepulchral 
tones to the worshipers. This god was also wor- 
shiped at the opening of every year by a great dance, 
so that he would send an abundance of rain. One 
special place of worship was in a large cave in the 
midst of the Makalanga country. As this was said 
to be only about five or six miles from Mapani Mis- 
sion, I had a desire to visit the spot and see what it 
was like. Setyokupi, one of the first Christian girls 
at Mapani, offered to accompany Ndhlamlabi and 
myself to the cave, as she lived near the place but 
had never visited it. We started early one morn- 
ing to the home of Setyokupi, which was several 
miles from the mission, and from there continued 
our journey to the cave. It was much farther than 
we had anticipated, and we walked quite a dis- 
tance before reaching the immense kopje, or hill of 
stone, in which the cave was. Then our way wound 
round and round among the rocks for a long dis- 
tance. Setyokupi saw that the task was greater 
than she had anticipated, and fearful of losing our- 
selves, we asked a young lad, whom we met in the 
neighborhood, to guide us. After reaching the cave 
we were obliged to climb forty or fifty feet up the 
side of the rock before we could enter. 



178 AFRICA 

It was a large cave, extending back into the rocks, 
and would have formed several good-sized rooms. 
We had understood that the worshipers generally 
took a present and left it in the cave. This was 
frequently a branch or twig of a tree; consequently 
there were to be seen in it many dried leaves and 
branches of trees, the thought in their mind in this 
connection being no doubt similar to that of the 
olive branch of peace. There were also a few old 
ornaments and cloth, but nothing of value. Here 
it was said the people came to have their yearly 
dance and pray for rain. Everything on the inside 
was quite old, and it looked as if the place had not 
been visited lately, but we were informed that there 
was another and more important place of worship in 
the vicinity in which there was a pool of water. 
This we did not see, nor did we learn of its location. 
The day was fast passing and we were obliged to 
hasten back to the mission. 

At this time, 1905, Europeans had already been 
fifteen years in some parts of the country and the 
natives about Matopo Mission were always quite 
willing for anyone to be present at their religious 
festivals. Many were beginning to throw off some 
of their old superstitious ideas, and some were ac- 
cepting Christ; so there was no thought of impropri- 
ety in our making this tour of investigation. The 
account of it no doubt came out through the little 
boy who accompanied us, and although these na- 
tives in Mapaniland were more raw than those 
about Matopo Mission, perhaps nothing further 
would have been thought of the visit, had the rains 
come on that year at the usual time. Unfortunately 



MATOPO MISSION 179 

they were exceptionally late, not really coming un- 
til the first of January, and the people were becom- 
ing desperate. It is always necessary for the heath- 
en to let the blame rest somewhere, and as the 
witch doctors and diviners generally hate the mis- 
sionaries because of their loss of custom and pres- 
tige, so they naturally put the blame upon our visit 
to the cave. I never learned that they placed the 
blame upon myself, but they did upon those who 
accompanied me. Ndhlalambi's life was really in 
danger that year and his people were much con- 
cerned for his safety. He, however, did not seem 
concerned about himself and continued to go back 
and forth and see about the work at Mapani. Sev- 
eral years later Setyokupi, who is a most devoted 
Christian, had to bear the blame from the older 
people for a similar drought, the years of plenty 
intervening being overlooked. We as missionaries, 
however, always try to be careful not to stir up 
unecessarily the opposition of the natives. 

According to some of the older natives Umlimo 
is worshiped under various names ; in fact, there is 
a trinity. In the hills to the south is the father, 
Shologulu. He is stern and unbending and is to 
be greatly feared. In the east is the son, Lunzi, who 
is kind and easy to be entreated. The mother, 
Banyanchaba, is in the north. Just how much tra- 
dition, handed down from Christianity, is embodied 
in this idea cannot be ascertained, but the belief is 
quite ancient. 

Again, some of the natives say that certain of the 
people at times claimed to be Umlimo and to have 
the power ascribed to him. One of these Avas a 



180 AFRICA 

woman whom the king, in order to test her power, 
put in a hut near him. He convinced himself of her 
false pretenses and punished her accordingly. 

In a general way natives do not concern them- 
selves about a Supreme God. Some, of course, will 
readily say that He made everything. Again we 
have inquired of others, 

" Who made the trees, the rocks, the grass? " 

They will answer, " We came here and found 
them already created, so we did not concern our- 
selves to inquire who made them." 

This indifference or spiritual laziness had much to 
do with their religion. On another occasion we 
were speaking with a native living near Mapani 
Mission, and were telling him that he ought to 
repent and accept Christ as his Savior. To excuse 
himself he said : 

" He made me. He brought me into the world 
and it is His business to boss me up." 

He really meant to say, " I am here by no choice 
of my own. He made me. I am His and He has a 
right to do as He pleases with me." 

This idea of fate runs through all their beliefs. 
They have no volition of their own. Everything 
that comes to them, whether of accident, sickness, 
ill luck, or whatever it may be, is the result of 
malevolent spirits which are in league against them. 
In fact, all their worship is one of the propitiation 
of the malevolent spirits. Good spirits will not 
harm them. 

One day in the Sabbath-school class, where ques- 
tions were freely asked, one of the older men said, 
" Since I hear you tell who God is and what He 



MATOPO MISSION 181 

likes, and who Satan is and what he does, I see that 
our gud, whom we have been worshiping, is Satan 
himself." 

The amadhlozi (spirits of the departed) are con- 
stantly besetting their path, causing sickness or mis- 
fortune, or else helping them to do what they de- 
sire. Their expression for ill luck is Angi ladhlozi 
(I do not have any spirit). When sick they send 
for the witch doctor to tell where the trouble is. He 
may say that one of the spirits thinks he had not 
been properly treated and wishes a goat. The goat 
is brought and killed, and a small portion of meat 
is used with medicine for the sick, but by far the 
greater part of the meat is generally appropriated 
by the witch doctor himself, who was no doubt more 
desirous of it than the shades. 

If health is not forthcoming for the sick, he is 
certainly bewitched. This is generally the belief 
when one dies or is suffering from an incurable 
disease. The witch doctor then takes his " bones " 
and " smells out " the supposed witch, and he is 
very careful to select as his victim one who is not 
very popular in the community by reason of his 
wealth or other circumstances. This one is accused 
of bewitching, and is ignominiously put to death, 
and all his property confiscated. 

Since the occupation of the country by the En- 
glish much of this killing of supposed witches is 
done away with, but there are still violent deaths, 
which looks suspicious. Since our stay at Matopo 
there was an instance of an old woman being 
drowned, which was traced directly to the witch 
doctor and he was punished. There were also sev- 



182 AFRICA 

eral instances of supposed suicide by hanging, which 
looked as if there might have been foul play, but 
which could not be ferreted. It is not unusual for 
the old or infirm to be gotten rid of in this way, 
especially by the ordeal of drinking poison. 

It would be unjust to say that their doctors never 
use remedies ; in fact, they have many herbs which 
they use and some of these are very efficacious. In 
fever we have seen them administer a greenish-look- 
ing powder of a native herb, which tasted much like 
quinine, and we were surprised once to see a na- 
tive physician pass through the mission premises 
with a wallet full of various kinds of herbs. He had 
a pass from the magistrate to practice among the 
natives, and he proudly opened his wallet and dis- 
played his drugs. Notwithstanding that they have 
these remedies, yet, in practice, this is often so 
mixed with charms and other superstitious ideas, 
that it is difficult to tell wherein the real remedy lies. 
A witch doctor, who lived near us and who had 
much light, exclaimed one day, " I can give medi- 
cine, and if the Lord says the sick will recover, he 
will recover ; if He says the sick one will die, he will 
die ; my medicine cannot save him." 

When one treats a native in his home for any dis- 
ease, it is always difficult to induce his people to 
follow the prescribed treatment ; for they desire of- 
ten to use their arts as well. A case of scurvy was 
at one of the villages, and they came to the mission 
for help. We went over. The boy had been losing 
blood for several days and was very weak, seeming- 
ly in the last stages of the disease. They had been 
using their arts, but to no avail, and had come to 



MATOPO MISSION 183 

the mission as a last resort. Elder Steigerwald re- 
proved them for waiting so long, and took hold of 
the ease, hoping still to save him. After looking to 
the Lord for guidanee, he managed to get the bleed- 
ing stopped, but to see that everything was properly 
carried out one of us remained for a time at the 
kraal. When he was thought to be out of danger he 
was left with his people, with strict injunctions to 
do just as they were told. When the patient was 
next visited it was found that the people had again 
brought out their charms and put them about his 
head, and it was necessary to frighten them thor- 
oughly before they would follow instructions. 

Parents are always very anxious to have their 
children at home if they become sick. This may 
partly be owing to natural solicitation on the part 
of the parents, for they love their children as well as 
white parents do, but it is also due to the fact that 
they cannot use their divinations properly except 
at home. Then, too, if they die, they are always 
anxious that their people die at home. In this way 
we often had great difficulty in keeping at the mis- 
sion some who were sick and needed care. 

One of our boys was very sick and we had been 
unable to help him, and both he and ourselves were 
looking to the Lord in his behalf. He was a good 
Christian and perfectly conscious all the time, and 
quite ready and willing to die if such was the Lord's 
will. His parents lived near and had been trying to 
take him home, but he did not wish to go ; and we 
too thought it best for him to remain under our care. 
When he became very low, it was necessary to in- 
form his parents. The father, who was a very vio- 



184 AFRICA 

lent and wrathy man, was determined to take the 
boy home, but we felt sure that a move at that 
time would be fatal, and told the father so. 

He replied, " I'll take him home if he dies on the 
way. I'll not have it said that my child died and 
was buried away from home." And it was with 
great difficulty that he could be prevailed upon to 
let the boy remain. The Lord heard our prayer in 
his behalf and he recovered. 

From what has been written it may readily be 
seen that the African believes in the immortality of 
the soul ; that the souls of the departed take cogni- 
zance of what is done on the earth by the survivors ; 
and that they have power over those who dwell on 
the earth to help, harm, or intercede in their behalf. 
They also believe in transmigration of souls, that 
the spirit of the departed often enters a snake, bird, 
lion, rhinoceros, or other animals, each of these 
tribes having its own especial animal. This does 
not necessarily imply that the soul remains in these 
forms. Frequently they speak of the animals as 
only a medium through which the spirit appears to 
its friends. 

The Matabele revere the snake and will not kill it. 
The first year of the mission a long snake entered 
one of the huts, that was in process of erection, and 
climbed up near the roof. I told one of the boys to 
knock it down and kill it. He recoiled from the idea 
and refused. Thinking he was afraid I took a hoe, 
knocked it down and killed it. When other natives 
came to the mission the incident was related to 
them by the boys and they expressed great sur- 
prise. I rather supposed that they were surprised 



MATOPO MISSION 185 

at my prowess, until one woman who knew me 
better than the others exclaimed, " Were you not 
afraid to kill it? Perhaps it was one of your friends." 
1 then found out that the snake was an object of 
reverence. 

Matshuba said that when his father was ill a 
snake entered his hut and he exclaimed, " That looks 
like a child of mine, it is so pretty. It is your 
brother, Matshuba." 

" Is that the reason," we inquired, " why so many 
people are afraid to kill snakes? " 

" Yes," he replied, " they think their friends come 
to visit them in this form." 

Again, once while out kraal-visiting we were 
speaking to some people who were working in their 
garden. Some one came from their kraal with a 
message of some kind, and soon all was commotion 
and hurry. 

I inquired, " What is the matter? Where are you 
going?" 

They answered, " Two snakes have entered our 
hut and we must go and see them." 

"Will you kill them?" 

" No, they are probably some of our friends, who 
have come to visit us," was the reply. 

The people were also accustomed to use a goat 
in their worship and then drive it away on the veldt. 
I know very little of this ceremony, except that 
when it was told to me, I was forcibly reminded of 
the " scapegoat " of the Israelites. Each family also 
has a sacred ox or cow among the herd. They do not 
worship images, and are surprised to find that there 
are people on earth who do. Two of the boys in 



186 AFRICA 

reading their Bibles one day learned for the first 
time that some people worship images made by 
men's hand, and they were as much surprised as 
any white child couM have been. 

" Do they answer v .heir prayers?" inquired they. 
" Can they talk, or do they know anything? Is it 
something like we make cattle out of mud to play 
with ? " 

We are accustomed to despise people who wor- 
ship animals, and it is certainly not very elevating; 
but they are God's handiwork, and are they not 
superior to many of the hideous images of idolatrous 
nations? When these people do worship, the object 
of their reverence is not the animal, but the souls of 
their people who they think enter the animals. 

Spiritualism is a legitimate product of their be- 
liefs. I can best illustrate this feature of their wor- 
ship by giving an instance which came to our notice 
in the year 1900. It was a religious dance. The 
chief actors had come from a distance and the wor- 
ship was in honor of one of their dead relatives, the 
aim being to bring back the soul and hold conference 
with it through one who acted as medium. 

We felt to avail ourselves of this opportunity of 
seeing something of their worship, that we might 
have a better understanding of the same. The moth- 
er of Kelenki, one of our converts, participated and 
she, heathenlike, was anxious to have her boy take 
part, but he of course refused, as he had always done 
when urged to join with them. It was only about 
two miles from the mission, so Brother and Sister 
Lehman and myself went over for a short time. 
We entered the village at about 3 P. M. and found 



MATOPO MISSION 187 

about one hundred people assembled. They had 
just been drinking beer and were feeling quite good. 
As many of them knew us, they greeted us quite 
pleasantly, nothing loath to see us on this occasion, 
provided we did not interfere in their worship. 

One of the must noticeable features at first was 
the evident attempt at ornamentation on the part of 
the women, especially the older women who were 
to take active part in the proceedings. We might 
add that only the older people took part in this 
dance, and that the ornamentation of the body is 
always a noticeable feature of their worship. Their 
dress, or rather undress, consisted of a short skirt 
of dirty, greasy leather, covered with a heavy em- 
broidery of bright-colored beads. The rest of the 
body was ornamented with beads and heavy brass 
rings, neck, waist, arms, and ankles being heavily 
laden. The headdress consisted of a broad band of 
beads artistically put together. 

Our attention was soon drawn to three women 
seated on the ground before one of the huts, each 
with a large drum made from a hollowed log, over 
one end of which was a skin tightly drawn. On this 
drum they were beating with their hands and ac- 
companying the sound with low, plaintive singing. 
Presently a man, who proved to be the leader, or 
medium, stepped out, beating at the same time on a 
drum made of a broad wooden hoop, over which 
was stretched a piece of skin. He was a tall, ath- 
letic-looking fellow, clothed in a short skirt similar 
to that worn by the women. He had many yards 
of blue cloth wrapped about his body and a yellow 
scarf thrown over one shoulder. The drum which 



188 AFRICA 

was beaten with a stick produced a sharp ringing 
sound, and he danced with a peculiar backward 
step, keeping time to the beating of his drum, and 
sang, calling upon the shades. To this the women, 
beating the drums or tomtoms, would respond. A 
number of other men with similar drums joined him 
in the dance, and the air was filled with their melody. 

This was continued for some time, when all sud- 
denly ceased and disappeared within a hut and con- 
tinued their dance within. We were invited to 
enter, and after creeping through the low doorway 
we found ourselves in a hut about eighteen feet in 
diameter, with a somewhat higher roof than is to 
be found in many native huts. The performance 
was similar to that on the outside, except that oth- 
ers joined in the dance, but all danced alone. The 
actions and contortions of the body became more 
and more rapid and violent, and there was also 
leaping and jumping, the heat and violent exertion 
of the body causing the perspiration to flow freely. 

The medium finally worked himself up into sort 
of a frenzy and announced that a spirit had entered 
the door. With this he pretended to enter into con- 
versation, but as he spoke in the Shuna language we 
did not understand him. The dancers all finally 
rushed out on the rocks and the leader fell down ex- 
hausted. After their return the same motions were 
continued, but a new feature was added by women 
entering, having native-made bells tied to their 
ankles, and these added to the general din. The 
motions of all were more or less similar, and even 
when the actions and contortions of the body were 
the most violent, they were somewhat rhythmical. 



MATOPO MISSION 189 

The noise was deafening in the extreme, and would 
have surely waked the dead were such a thing pos- 
sible. In addition to a dozen drums and the bells, 
there were yelling, whistling, and singing. A huge 
battle-axe was handed around from one to another, 
and part of the time was dangling on the neck of 
the leader. Sad as one felt at the delusion under 
which they labored, he could not but be impressed 
by their evident earnestness, and only wished it 
might be expended in a better cause. 

They did not forget our presence, and no doubt 
we did interfere with the freedom of their actions. 
The medium came toward us several times, beating 
his drum. Thinking he might be annoyed at our 
presence we spoke to the headman, but he hastened 
to assure us that we were welcome to remain. In 
fact, he as well as many others in the kraal, seemed 
to be spectators rather than participants in the wor- 
ship. 

They finally became quiet and the medium again 
claimed to converse with the departed, and this time 
one of our boys interpreted. Of course both ques- 
tions and answers were given by the medium. 
Among other things he said : " I see a spirit enter 
the door. It says, 'Who are these white people? 
Are they the people who killed the Matabele? ' No, 
they are missionaries and like the black people." It 
seemed evident that not only the spirit but some of 
the strangers present were somewhat afraid and 
needed assurance that we were harmless. 

We returned home sad at heart for their heathen- 
dom. We were informed that this worship con- 
tinued until late in the night and two days follow- 



190 AFRICA 

ing. There was much beer drinking and immoral- 
ity, so that even some of the heathen in the kraal 
were thoroughly disgusted. 

The Matabele do not use drums in their religious 
dance like the Mashona. Once when we were out 
kraal visiting we happened to come upon some of 
these worshiping at Fusi's kraal. We stopped only 
a few minutes to see what they were doing, and were 
greatly shocked by the hideousness of their looks 
and actions. The very stamp of the bottomless pit 
seemed impressed upon their features. 

Heathen worship, heathen dances, and hideous 
rites are becoming less and less in the vicinity of 
the mission, for the natives are fast losing faith in 
their old religion. The missionaries need a great 
deal of patience, forbearance, and firmness in deal- 
ing with the perplexing problems in reference to the 
natives' beliefs, but in the end God's cause is sure 
to win. 



CHAPTER FOURTEEN 
Some of the Customs 

CUSTOM is so interwoven with and dependent 
upon religion that it is almost impossible to 
dissociate the two, so there is a difference of 
opinion as to what constitutes custom and what re- 
ligion. Whatever the natives believe or practice 
has in their estimation been given them by their 
god, even to the ornaments of their bodies. As Rev. 
YY. Chapman says, " The most satisfactory way of 
changing native customs is by changing his relig- 
ion." On the other hand, take away the native's 
religion and the restraints which often accompany it, 
and place him in a modern city, with its so-called 
modern civilization, without the restraining influ- 
ences of the Christian religion, and a monstrosity 
of evil is often the result. 

From infancy this inexorable law, custom, assails 
him. He must not step aside from the laws of his 
ancestors or he will suffer the consequences. If 
twins are born, they must be put to death. If a 
child cuts his upper front teeth first instead of the 
lower, again death is the penalty. Not because the 
mother does not love her child. It is just as dear 
to her as the child of Christian parents is to them, 
and generally no amount of money will induce her 
to part with it, but this infant is departing from the 
customs followed by its ancestors, and if its pre- 

191 



192 AFRICA 

cocity leads it thus early to change the customs, 
what will it not do as it becomes older? It is a 
monstrosity and must be dealt with accordingly. 

If the child is a girl, it may at any time after 
birth be betrothed or sold to a man for his wife, and 
a part or all of the pay be given to the parents to 
bind the contract. This intended husband may be 
already middle-aged or old, with several wives. 
That is to his credit, because it frequently means 
that he is rich or a man of importance in the com- 
munity. An old, gray-haired man living near the 
mission had nine wives when we arrived on the 
scene, some of whom were just young girls. How- 
ever, one frequently meets with heathen natives 
who have only one wife. 

The would-be bridegroom sends some one to the 
father or guardian of the girl to ask for her hand in 
marriage. He consults his relatives in reference to 
the matter, but even if they disagree, he may give 
his consent, for he alone receives the pay. This 
may be in the form of cattle, sheep, or goats, or even 
money 'in later years, and the amount of pay the 
man can or is willing to give had much to do with 
the father's consent. Of course the girl has no say 
in the affair, and may not, until she is older, know 
who her intended husband is. If she is small, he 
waits until she is about grown before the actual 
marriage takes place, but in the meantime she is 
looked upon as his prospective wife and is often 
thoroughly demoralized before marriage. 

Before the missionaries or Europeans came to the 
country, it is doubtful whether the girl rebelled 
much as to what disposition was made of her, for 



MATOPO MISSION 193 

one choice was about the same as another, only so 
that she might become a married woman. In their 
eyes it was almost a disgrace to be unmarried after 
they had reached the proper age. 

It is said that when the time came for her to be 
married she would say, " I am grown and want to 
marry." At first her people refuse, but finally they 
give her a hoe and showing her a piece of raw veldt 
say, " Show how you can dig, so that we may see 
whether you have strength to perform the work of a 
wife." She takes the hoe and shows her strength 
by vigorous work ; for is she not to take the place 
of oxen or donkeys for her husband and plow and 
sow his gardens? This is no exaggeration, for more 
than one native has been heard to exclaim, " These 
are my oxen," pointing to his wives, the chief dif- 
ference being that whereas the oxen get some time 
to rest and eat, the wife gets little, as she must 
grind and prepare the food in the interim of digging. 

When the day set for the wedding arrives, a num- 
ber of girls of about her own age are called and they 
have a feast, often of goat, after which they accom- 
pany the bride to the home of the bridegroom, an 
old woman, carrying a knife, leading the way. Here 
they are assigned their places and various cere- 
monies. The wedding lasts several days and ends 
in a feast, and very often much immorality is con- 
nected with it. During a certain stage of the cere- 
mony the bride runs and hides, not again making 
her appearance until she is found by the others. 

So-called marriages sometimes take place without 
any pay being given for the wife, but in such in- 
stances the children do not belong to or are not 



194 AFRICA 

under the control of their parents; they belong to 
the father or guardian of the wife, as she has not 
been paid for. It may thus be seen that the giving 
of pay is not an unmitigated evil, as it leaves the 
children in the hands of their natural guardians, the 
parents. With the wife the pay is merely changing 
her from the ownership of her father to that of her 
husband, and if she should leave her husband, the 
pay or part of it must be returned to him. 

It frequently happens that a man takes a wife 
according to native marriage without paying for 
her, and afterwards, if he desires to retain her or 
her children, he pays the father for her. A native in 
the vicinity of Matopo had, in this manner, taken 
five wives, at various times, without paying for any 
of them. When some of his children became of an 
age that his wives' parents desired to take them, he 
took steps to secure them by paying for his wives. 
One, however, whom he did not like, he drove away 
without paying for her. These things show that 
the marriage vow is exceedingly loose and leads to 
much immorality. Several years after we came to 
Matopo Hills a law was passed by the British Gov- 
ernment, allowing the girls some freedom of choice 
in regard to the marriage question, and it is now 
possible for Christian girls to choose Christian hus- 
bands. 

A man will have a hut for himself and one for 
each of his wives, and the more wives he has, the 
greater his importance in the community. I think 
that it is safe to say that an old heathen's ambition 
is to have many wives, each with her hut, about him, 
many sons, who too, with their wives, add to the 



MATOPO MISSION 195 

number of huts, and many daughters, that he may 
sell them for eattle or sheep and thus increase his 
flocks and herds. lie also likes to have nephews, 
younger brothers, and other relatives with their 
wives come to him and swell the number of huts. 
This makes a large number of huts, large herds, and 
he becomes an important headman ; or if his follow- 
ers increase sufficiently he may become a chief. 
These huts, built near together and often enclosed 
with a fence, are what constitute a kraal. This is a 
Dutch word and applies only to native villages, but 
there may be only three or four huts and it still be 
called a kraal. 

Their huts are built of poles and mud, much as 
described in the making of our own, except that the 
huts of the raw natives are much lower, without 
windows and with a doorway only about three feet 
in height. Sometimes no poles are used in the con- 
struction of the walls, but they are moulded of earth 
from the bottom up and are well made. The floor 
is made of ant-hill earth, well pounded. This is- 
then covered with a thin coat of black earth and 
polished with stones until it looks not unlike a 
nicely-polished wooden floor. The Matabele build 
much better huts than some of the subject tribes; 
these latter are good farmers, but often have most 
miserable-looking huts. 

There is no furniture proper in the huts. The bed 
consists of a mat or hide spread on the floor at 
night. During the day this, together with the 
blankets, is rolled up and tied to the roof of the hut. 
The pillow is made from a block of wood, and there 
are no chairs, a small mat answering for this pur- 



196 



AFRICA 




MATOPO MISSION 197 

pose. They have earthen pots for cooking and 
brewing beer and for various purposes. They have 
many kinds of nicely-woven baskets, and gourds 
for carrying and dipping water as well as for drink- 
ing vessels. There are also the necessary stamping 
block and a large flat stone on which the grain is 
ground. The wash basin is the mouth. The mouth 
is filled with water, which is allowed to run in a 
thin stream on the hands until they are washed, 
and then the hands are filled in the same way to 
wash the face. I was greatly interested once in 
the operation of bathing twins. This mother had 
sufficient light to keep her from killing her babies 
because there were two of them. She spread a 
blanket on a large rock in the sun. Then she took 
a gourd of water and filled her mouth. (It is sur- 
prising how much water they can hold in the mouth ; 
practice aids greatly in this, no doubt.) She kept 
the water in her mouth a short time to take off the 
chill, then picked up one child, held it out and, with 
a thin stream of water pouring from her mouth, 
washed the entire body of the child thoroughly. 
After this ablution she laid it on the blanket in the 
sun to dry. She again filled her mouth and taking 
the other baby repeated the process and also placed 
it on the blanket. The children were evidently ac- 
customed to such baths ; for they took it all quietly, 
and perhaps enjoyed it as much as a white child in 
a bath tub of warm water. 

Polygamy is not necessarily opposed among some 
of the heathen women. They will frequently tell 
you, " I like my husband to have more than one 
wife ; then I do not need to work so hard." It is, 



198 AFRICA 

however, a source of much dissension and rivalry 
among them and a cause of much favoritism among 
the children. One day Gomo was reading the story 
of Joseph and Benjamin. He exclaimed, " That is 
just like our people. The children of the favorite 
wife are loved more by the father." Of course po- 
lygamy is one great drawback to the introduction 
of Christianity, but we believe that it has had its 
day and that in many places it is becoming less in 
practice. Each wife cooks of her own food for the 
husband and places it before him. He, with older 
boys, eats what he desires and leaves the balance, 
if there be any, for the wife and her children. If he 
has many wives a number of dishes are often placed 
before him during the day, and he can eat that 
which he prefers. Or, if there are several men in 
the kraal, they often all eat from one dish, and from 
each dish as it is brought to them by the various 
wives, while the mother and daughters eat from a 
separate dish. 

Their chief occupation is farming, and they grow 
corn, kafir corn, millet, sweet potatoes, peanuts, 
ground peas, melons, citrons, and pumpkins. They 
generally hull the grain and then stamp or grind it 
into a very fine meal or flour. This they put into 
boiling water and make a very stiff porridge, or 
mush. Their favorite food seems to be this por- 
ridge, eaten with meat into the broth of which 
ground peanuts have been cooked. They generally 
have chickens, sheep, goats, or cattle, and often 
hunt or trap game. Their usual way of eating is to 
allow the food to cool a little and then dip the two 
front fingers into the porridge, take a little and dip 



MATOPO MISSION 199 

it into the gravy and then put it into their mouth. 
They also greatly relish green corn, eaten from the 
cob or cut off and ground on the millstones. This 
milky meal is then made into a loaf and placed into 
a kettle and thoroughly steamed. This is their best 
substitute lor bread, and in its season it is consid- 
ered their most dainty dish, and with a little salt it 
is quite palatable, especially if not much grit has 
combined with it in the process of preparation. 

The African is fond of his beer, which also is 
made by the wives. For this purpose they use any 
of the grains grown by them, but they prefer kafir 
corn or millet. This is moistened and put in a warm 
place until it sprouts. It is then ground or stamped 
and the meal is cooked into a thin porridge and put 
into large earthen pots, where more water is added, 
also the yeast or dregs of a previous brewing. It 
is then allowed to stand in a warm place and fer- 
ment, and before drinking it is usually strained 
through a loose bag of their own weaving. The na- 
tive will tell you that their god showed them how to 
make the beer, and I have no doubt but that he did. 

It is needless to say that it intoxicates and is the 
cause of frequent brawls and fights among them, 
and it is not unusual for the missionaries to be 
called upon to help settle some of these disturb- 
ances. It is less difficult to convince the Africans 
of the evil effects of its use than it is some Euro- 
peans. The latter will often tell you that the native 
thrives and works better if allowed his beer. Mis- 
sionaries are not wanting who think it is best not to 
interfere with their native Christians having their 
beer. Our missionaries, however, have no difficulty 



200 AFRICA 

in inducing the Christians to discard the use of it, 
and we believe the sentiment against it is increasing 
among the missionaries in general. In a native 
Conference held at Matopo Mission' in February, 
1914, the question of native beer came up. Of course 
all were opposed to members drinking it, but the 
question was in regard to the Christian girls, who 
were minors, assisting in the making of it, since 
they are under the jurisdiction of their heathen par- 
ents. The older native Christians were in favor of 
more stringent measures than even the missionaries. 

In order to show what an enlightened Christian 
native can and will do if he has the power we need 
only refer tb the work of King Khama. He is the 
King of Bechuanaland, the country just west of 
Southern Rhodesia. His father was a heathen king 
and a sorcerer, but Khama embraced Christianity in 
his youth, and in the midst of most bitter perse- 
cutions from his own father and others, he stood 
true. The people finally recognizing his ability 
chose him king in place of his father in 1872. Then 
his difficulties began in another line. If he was to 
be the chief of the country, it must be founded on 
the principles of the Gospel. All imported liquor 
was prohibited from crossing the border, nor was 
native beer allowed to be made. 

It was a fierce battle with some of the nati\ r es 
themselves, for they were not all Christians and did 
not readily yield. This domestic trouble, however, 
was nothing compared with the battle he had to 
wage with unprincipled white traders and even with 
government officials, for the country was under the 
protection of England, and they had some voice in 



MATOPO MISSION 



201 




Matabele Women Stamping Grain. 



202 AFRICA 

the management of affairs. But Khama won the 
day in such a struggle as would have dismayed 
many a stouter heart. According to Mr. J. H. Hep- 
burn, Khama wrote to the British Administration 
as follows : " I dread the white man's drink more 
than the assegais of the Matabele which kill men's 
bodies and is quickly over ; but drink puts devils into 
men and destroys their souls and bodies forever. 
Its wounds never heal. I pray your Honor never 
to ask me to open even a little door to drink." 
Words worthy of a native Christian hero, indeed ; a 
hero that could not be bought, that could not be 
bribed or frightened by the liquor men. 

The Government of Rhodesia is rather favorable 
toward native beer, yet we owe it much for prohibit- 
ing imported liquor sold to natives within its 
territory. Perhaps (who knows?) Khama's firm 
stand in his own territory may have been an influ- 
ence in keeping Rhodesian natives from securing 
imported liquor. 

Mention was made before that the native way of 
getting work done is to make a quantity of beer and 
invite their neighbors. They do this in digging 
and preparing the ground for sowing, in weeding, 
in cultivating, and in threshing. While a little beer 
is given during the work, the greater part is kept 
back until the work is completed, perhaps as an 
inducement for them to persevere unto the end. If 
then one, in evangelistic work, comes upon such a 
company early in the day, they are not much the 
worse for drink and will often listen attentively. 

Once Sister Steigerwald and I came to a place 
where a large company were busy weeding. They 



MATOPO MISSION 203 

had a large garden to weed and did not greatly 
desire to stop for service, but we promised not to 
keep them long, so they gathered under the shade 
of a tree. On opening our Bible our eye fell on the 
" Parable of the Tares," which seemed quite suitable 
for the occasion. They listened most attentively to 
the short talk, and as illustrations taken from their 
gardens and work always seemed better understood 
and appreciated, w r e made use of such entirely in 
the application. After singing and prayer we told 
them they might return to their work. We sat 
still and watched them awhile, and as they worked 
and pulled out the weeds, we could hear them talk- 
ing to one another and saying, " Yes, the bad things 
Satan sows in our hearts are just like these weeds, 
and they need to be rooted out or they will destroy 
us." 

On another occasion, one Sunday morning, there 
were no natives from one of the large kraals present 
at the services, and we felt to pay them a visit. 
Ganukisa and some of the boys accompanying, we 
went to the place in the afternoon to hold service. 
We always tried to impress upon the people that 
they should not work on Sunday, and many were 
heeding, so on this occasion we were surprised to 
find about seventy-five of them having a digging. 
As we drew near, they had just finished the work 
and were about to surround the huge beer pots for 
a " good time." We knew by the time they had 
consumed all that beer they would scarcely be in a 
condition to receive the Gospel. What should we 
do? We never like to ask the natives to do any- 
thing unless there is some probability of its being 



204 AFRICA 

carried out, for one is likely to lose influence over 
them. Could they be persuaded to leave their beer 
pots and let us talk to them first? We could not 
make them do it, but God could, so looking to Him 
we said, 

" Leave the beer and come out under the shade of 
the trees while we talk to you." 

" Oh, no," they replied, " let us drink the beer 
first and then we will come." 

We knew that if they did their drinking first 
some of them would not stay for the service, so 
again, with somewhat more authority, I repeated 
the request, and at the same time, together with the 
Christian natives who accompanied, moved toward 
the shade. It was almost more than we expected, 
but the Lord moved upon their hearts to leave the 
beer untouched, and come to listen. The Lord espe- 
cially anointed some of our native Christians for 
the service and they gave forth the Word with 
power. One of them referred very strongly to their 
desecration of the Sabbath. At first they sought to 
justify themselves, but as the truth was pressed 
home to them they said they would never do it 
again. At the close a number of the older men for 
the first time in their lives prayed and pleaded for 
pardon. The old women who had invited them to 
work seemed especially concerned and promised 
not to~repeat it on Sunday. 

When they thresh they also invite a lot of their 
neighbors. They place the grain on a large flat 
rock and then strike it with a straight stick. Once 
I was present when a large number of the Ama- 
hole, or subject tribes, were threshing. They were 



MATOPO MISSION 205 

decked out with all their ornaments, and being di- 
vided into two sides were placed opposite to one 
another, like two opposing forces in battle array. 
Each being armed with his threshing stick, they 
performed a mimic battle with the grain lying on 
the rock between the two lines of battle, each one 
alternately driving the other before it and at the 
same time beating the grain with their sticks. They 
also sang their war song, of how the Matabele over- 
came them and impaled them alive, and of the dire 
vengeance they would inflict in return. The inter- 
lude would be occupied by a sort of ballet dancer 
among them. The whole was exceedingly heathen- 
ish, but not uninteresting; and as for the grain, a 
large amount of it was threshed. 

While much of the work falls to the women, some 
of the native men are quite diligent in digging in 
their gardens ; but they generally wish to sell their 
grain and secure money to pay taxes for themselves 
and their wives. The women, in addition to grow- 
ing most of the food that is eaten, often help to 
furnish the tax money. Of course to the raw native 
dress is a negligible quantity. 

The people are always generous, and the food in 
the kraals, is shared with the strangers. No one 
needs to go through the country hungry unless there 
is famine, and even then they will often divide the 
last morsel. When the stranger comes among them, 
they always bid him welcome, and it is etiquette to 
let him remain for at least one day without asking 
him any questions as to his business among them. 

Even in respect to continually begging, which is 
so obnoxious to Europeans, the native is not so rude 



206 AFRICA 

as it would appear. They are not slow to ask one 
another, and they have often surprised me by say- 
ing that they felt flattered to be asked for articles, 
as it showed that they had something which the 
other did not have and they had an opportunity to 
help. A native likes to have plenty, but he does 
not want to have his gardens surpass too much those 
of his neighbors, in productiveness; neither does he 
want his herds to surpass others too much, for fear 
he may be an object of envy to those around him 
and a victim of malice, or be accused of witchcraft. 

There always seems to be a great attachment 
between the mother and her children all through 
life. This does not hinder the big, stout boy, how- 
ever, from lying around and living on the bounty of 
his hard-working mother, and on the other hand 
the heathen boy will often exert himself to aid his 
mother and pay her hut tax, and she often lives 
with her son when she becomes old. 

The native women generally shave their heads 
with a piece of sharp glass. It is a laborious and 
painful process and needs to be done by an expert, 
but in the end it is well done. The married woman 
always leaves a small tuft of hair on the crown of 
her head. This is her sign of wifehood. The raw 
native has no means of keeping record of his age, 
so we must always guess at it. 

The government is patriarchal and the younger 
are generally respectful to the elders, and all are 
more or less polite to one another. Their very name 
implies this. The surname is handed down from 
father to child, even the wife retaining that of her 
father unless she is married by Christian marriage. 



MATOPO MISSION 



207 



The surname is also the isibonyo, or thank word. 
By that I mean that it is what they say if they wish 
to thank for any favor. Among themselves they do 
not say " I thank you " for any favor received. Sup- 
pose Muza Sibanda would give another one some- 
thing. The recipient on receiving it would say 
" Sibanda " instead of " I thank you." Again, in 
addressing another, if one wishes to be polite or 




Matabele Women Digging. 



respectful he will use the last, not the first name, or 
he may say " Father," " Mother," or the like. I 
at first thought them somewhat rude in not thank- 
ing properly, but soon found that it was often the 
result of not knowing what to say. One day I gave 
a piece of bread to a little fellow about five years 
of age. He hesitated, then looking up into my face, 
said, " Isibongo sako si pit " ("What is your thank 



208 AFRICA 

name?") If a native is given anything, all the 
others present will join in thanking, for a favor to 
one is a favor to all. The mother will often use the 
thank name, or surname, as a term of endearment 
to her child. After she has a child she is no longer 
known by her name, but if the child is Luju she is 
known as the " mother of Luju." 

If one falls or meets with an accident, however 
slight, all the rest will say " Pepa" ("Beg par- 
don "). If one enters the kraal of another, he enters 
the hut and sits down near the door without say- 
ing anything. Presently he says "Eh! kuhle" 
("Peace"), about equivalent to saying, "Peace be 
to this house." It is not a salutation, but a polite 
way of announcing his presence. The occupant of 
the hut then responds by saying, "Eh! sa ku bona" 
(" We see you "). In reality, however, it is equiva- 
lent to saying "How do you do?" to which the 
other responds. 

It is a real treat to hear two old natives convers- 
ing together, especially if they are unconscious of 
one's presence. Their gossip may not be very ele- 
vating, but it is always carried on in a polite and 
interesting manner. The Tebele language is most 
beautiful and expressive, as its liquid syllables roll 
off the native tongue, and it is always most cor- 
rectly spoken — no errors in grammar among them. 

This would not be complete without mention be- 
ing made of death and burial. In burial the various 
tribes differ somewhat among themselves. Among 
the Matabele, when one dies the friends come and 
prepare the body for burial by placing it in a sitting 
posture with the knees brought up near the face. 



MATOPO MISSION 209 

They clothe it in the garments which it owned, and 
wrap the blanket about it, tying the body firmly in 
this position with the face exposed. It is then left 
sitting in the hut, together with some of the women 
mourners, while the men go and select a place for 
burial, generally at a little distance from the kraal, 
unless the deceased should be headman. They make 
the grave more or less circular in form, and near the 
bottom a slight excavation is made in the side for 
the reception of the body. 

The body is then placed on a blanket or large 
hide and carried out to the grave, the friends follow- 
ing and mourning. A gourd filled with fresh water 
is brought, and w r ith this a near friend or relative 
washes the face of the dead, at the same time giving 
it a message to kindly remember them to the king 
and to speak a good word for them. The two men 
standing in the grave receive the body and place it 
in the excavation with the face toward the east. 
They fasten it in position with stones and then fill 
in the grave with earth. On top of the grave are 
placed stones and the property of the deceased, to- 
gether with branches of trees, perhaps to protect it 
from the wild beasts, for the grave is somewhat 
shallow. 

As children do not have any garments which they 
can call their own, they are often buried without 
anything being wrapped about the body. Once, when 
a little son of Mapita died, Sister Doner and I went 
over to the burial. The little body was lowered into 
the grave quite bare and they were about to put in 
the earth. Sister Doner could not stand that, so 
she hastily removed a large apron which she had 



210 AFRICA 

on and told them to wrap that around the little body 
before throwing in the earth. They did so, but no 
doubt would have preferred keeping it for them- 
selves before it had been defiled by coming into con- 
tact with the dead body. When Kelenki, one of 
our Christian boys, died in his home, they wanted 
to know what to do with his books, and one of the 
other Christian boys said he thought they had 
better leave them for the living. 

After burial they all go to the river and wash, 
for death means defilement. The women are the 
chief mourners, and they assemble early in the 
morning, fill the air with their wailing and then 
return home until the following morning. This is 
often done for four consecutive mornings. In the 
interim the relatives sit about the kraal, quiet and 
with little talking, except to answer the condolences 
of their friends, who come from time to time to 
sympathize with them. There is no feast, as among 
some natives. In fact, for a time little food is 
cooked or eaten except that brought by neighbors. 

Some of the other tribes lay the body down in 
burial, and often place it in the crevices of the rocks. 
If the deceased is headman of the kraal, he is gen- 
erally buried in the enclosure and often inside his 
own hut, and the people usually remain there for 
a year and then, after a period of worship, the kraal 
is abandoned. The wives go to be the wives of the 
brother of the deceased, unless they be old, when 
they usually live with a son or daughter. 

About fifteen miles from the mission, in the direc- 
tion of Bulawayo, is the grave of the first king, 
TJmzilikazi. It is in a large kopje, between some 



MATOPO MISSION 211 

immense boulders. On the top of the grave, or in 
the immediate vicinity — since one cannot point out 
the exact spot of the body — are many wagon loads 
of rock thrown in to fill up the cavity between the 
boulders. There are also wheels and the remains of 
broken wagons and other property once owned by 
the king, and probably bought from the white men 
in. his emigration from Zululand to this country. I 
cannot give the exact date of this king's death, but 
it was at least more than fifty years ago. As he 
w r as considered the god of the Matabele, this grave 
was often no doubt a place of worship by the tribe, 
but we have no knowledge that it has been wor- 
shiped in late years. Perhaps it somewhat fell into 
disuse after Umlimo, the god of the Makalanga, 
was considered so powerful. 



CHAPTER FIFTEEN 
Later Visits 

The missionary stands to the native for religion and 
education, for all the help he may get to make his life 
cleaner, more moral, and more in keeping with ideals of 
the white man at his best. — M. S. Evans. 

IN the year 1910 it was my privilege, on returning 
from a furlough to Natal, to again visit Matopo, 
after an absence of nearly four years. Bishop 
and Mrs. Steigerwald were at that time in America 
on furlough, and Brother Doner and his wife, who 
was formerly Sister Sallie Kreider, and Sister Mary 
Heise were in charge of Matopo Mission. When I 
reached Bulawayo I found Brother Doner waiting 
to convey me to the mission. It was indeed a pleas- 
ure again to visit the place and to look into the faces 
of those natives who had grown very dear by rea- 
son of my long stay among them. Here it was 
my privilege to come into contact, for the first time, 
with raw heathendom, and to have the joy of see- 
ing light enter darkened minds and souls born into 
the Kingdom. So it occupies a tender spot which 
later experiences cannot touch. 

There had been improvements made since I had 
left. Prominent among these were two substantial 
brick buildings, a house for the boys and one for the 
girls, and there were thirty-three boys occupying 
the one and three girls the other. There is a nice 
212 



MATOPO MISSION 213 

little band of believers at this place, some of whom 
1 wish especially to mention. First is poor old blind 
Xgiga. Shortly after Elder Engle's death we found 
him at a kraal, destitute and afflicted, with no one 
seemingly to care for him and give him food. We 
carried or sent food to him for a time, and gave him 
a blanket, and he gradually gained strength. Think- 
ing that exercise would do him good, Brother Leh- 
man encouraged him to come to the mission for his 
food, as he was only a short distance away. He had 
lain for so long without exercising his body that at 
first it was with great difficulty that he reached the 
mission, but being supplied with food, he grew 
stronger and was enabled to walk the distance easily 
and to help himself a little. Some time after Elder 
Steigerwald came he treated him for his disease and 
built a hut and brought him to the mission to stay, 
as the loathsome disease with which he was afflict- 
ed had left him about blind. He, however, was 
converted and has been received into the Church. 
It is a pleasure to hear him now testify to Christ's 
saving power, and to praise the Lord for bringing 
the missionaries. Truly, the Lord is no Respecter of 
persons. 

Again, let us go to Buka's house. My readers 
will remember Buka, whom Sister Heise and I 
found upon the rocks eleven years before when we 
went in search of little Lomazwana. Yes, it is 
really he whose life and home looked so black to us 
that day. He moved to within about three miles 
of the mission, and his son Kolisa came to stay at 
the mission and go to school. The father became 
sick and Brother and Sister Doner visited him and 



214 AFRICA 

ministered unto him. Then they built him a hut 
and made him more comfortable. He finally became 
a paralytic and unable to help himself, so Brother 
Steigerwald assisted them to get a home on the 
mission premises, and gave them gardens, so that 
they are now quite comfortable. The oldest daugh- 
ter also accepted Christ, then the mother followed, 
and these two with the son are now members of the 
Church. 

My first Sunday at Matopo, in company with 
Brother and Sister Doner, I visited this home. A 
smile of recognition at once lighted up the face of 
the invalid father ; and though he could not speak, 
the family interpreted the sounds he made. After 
he had expressed his welcome he said that though 
his body and speech were paralyzed, yet his heart 
was all right. During another visit he tried to ex- 
plain how Jesus was dwelling within, and how glad 
he was that when he got " over there " he would not 
be sick. One could not help feeling that he had 
learned to know the Lord. Truly, affliction had 
proved a blessing to him. 

There was a good school at Matopo, with Sister 
Heise and Matshuba as teachers. Brother Doners 
were very busy overseeing this work, as well as 
their own station at Mapani Mission, and they kind- 
ly took me to that place to see something of the 
work there. Nyamazana had had charge of the 
mission at Mapani for about six months and was 
doing good work, especially spiritually. He is Spir- 
it-filled and alive to the responsibility resting upon 
him. He had charge of the Inquirers' Class and 
Sunday services, and the natives say that he 



MATOPO MISSION 



215 




Building the Boys' House at Matopo, M. S. 




Boys' Brick House at Matopo Mission. 



216 AFRICA 

preaches powerful sermons. He has a nice Chris- 
tian wife, who is a help to him. There is a company 
of earnest believers at this place. Brother Doner 
erected a large brick church and a brick dwelling- 
house, which added greatly to the appearance and 
comfort of the work, and he deserves much credit 
for the work accomplished alone and single-handed 
in building. 

The first Friday in each month has been set apart 
by the missionaries in Africa as a day of prayer 
and fasting. On the Prayer Day in May of that 
year we were permitted to meet with the believers 
at Mapani Mission. Over seventy were assembled. 
They included the members of the Church here and 
those of the Inquirers' Class. We had a most pre- 
cious waiting on the Lord and heard many soul- 
stirring prayers and testimonies. Many seemed to 
be reaching out for a greater fulness of the Spirit, 
while others were overflowing with the joy of the 
Lord. The work was most encouraging and the 
members steadfast, and the Lord had been pouring 
out His Spirit upon some of them in a marvelous 
manner, and our hearts were made to rejoice with 
them. 

We also spent a few days visiting some of the 
people and the schools taught by Brethren Nkwidi- 
ni, Mlobeka, and Nyamazana. All three of these 
teachers were our former pupils and had been con- 
verted at Matopo. 

Brother and Sister Doner then took me to Mtya- 
bezi Mission, after which they returned to Matopo. 
Mtyabezi is the mission station of Brother and Sis- 
ter Frey, and a little over a year after it was opened 



MATOPO MISSION 



217 



Miss Elizabeth Engle also came to help in it. This 
was my first visit at the station, and I was made to 
rejoice at what the Lord was doing at this place. 
The buildings are pleasantly located at the foot of 
an immense kopje, which towers high above them in 
the background. A neat-looking brick church had 
been erected by Brother Frey, and well-built huts 
in which they were living at the time! 




A Native Christian's Home. Matshuba's. 



Sister Frey had been doing the teaching, but at 
the time of my visit, Bunu, one of their pupils and 
converts, was teaching and doing excellent work. 
On Thursday Sisters Frey and Engle and myself 
went in the wagon to visit some members about 
eight miles distant, where we met with a warm 
reception among those who were Christians. At one 
place there was a Christian woman about sixty 
years of age, who seemed so happy in the Lord and 



218 AFRICA 

so eager to make us welcome and comfortable dur- 
ing our stay. We were surprised to find in one of 
the kraals a native dressmaker who owned a sewing 
machine and had all the sewing she could do for her 
dark-skinned neighbors. The sisters have been 
teaching their girls and women to sew. 

In the evening about thirty natives, most of whom 
were believers, gathered around our campfire to 
hold service. We spoke for a time, and then a 
number gave a clear testimony to the saving power 
of Christ. We had to contrast this little company 
with some other gatherings which we have seen and 
heard in the hours of night in darkest Africa, where 
beer, the dance, licentiousness, and all forms of 
devil worship made night hideous. One can best 
understand what the Gospel message is doing for 
the people, if he first sees something of paganism. 

On Sunday at the mission there was a very im- 
pressive time, and when the altar call was given a 
number came forward. There were truly penitent 
hearts, among whom were a number of young men 
seeking to get right with God ; also some girls and 
married people. Here was a woman whose husband 
had two wives, and she was much persecuted at 
home, but she wanted to follow the Lord, and pite- 
ously, in the midst of her sobs, she inquired what 
she should do. Then a Magdalene confessed that 
she had fallen into grievous sin, and like the one of 
old came with bitter tears to the feet of Jesus. An- 
other's way was made hard on account of the 
unfaithfulness of her husband, and so on. But the 
one whose experience seemed the most touching 
was a woman of nearly sixty years. Her married 



MATOPO MISSION 219 

daughter, who is a Christian, had been much in 
prayer for her mother, and so the woman came and 
with utter abandonment, seemingly, threw herself 
at the feet of Jesus, weeping and confessing her 
sins and saying, " I am a dog. Pick me up, Lord." 
At the opening of 1913 we were permitted to make 
another visit to the missions in this vicinity. This 
vacation was to be only a month, and as I had in 
the meantime been cut off from association with 
white people, except those at the mission, I conclud- 
ed to spend the first few days in Bulawayo. The 
place had grown since we reached it, nearly fifteen 
years before, and although the growth had not been 
so rapid it was of an enduring, steady kind. The 
place is laid out on broad lines, with broad streets 
and roomy dwellings — no need for skyscrapers here. 
There are many fine, substantial-looking business 
blocks, and as one goes into the suburbs he sees 
many elegant, well-built dwelling-houses. There 
are fine churches, a good hospital, museum, and li- 
brary, and two large government school buildings, 
each with a good dormitory attached. One of these 
is for boys and the other, which is on the opposite 
side of the town, is for girls. Here, as in all parts 
of South Africa, there is some industrial work in 
connection with the schools. Bulawayo has also 
many excellent stores and shops, so that one mav 
purchase almost anything required, not only in the 
line of provisions, household goods, and clothing - , 
but all lines of farming implements and many kinds 
of machinery. The heavy wagons, drawn by great 
rows of oxen, donkeys, and mules, are still to be 
seen, but there are also many dainty one-horse traps, 



220 AFRICA 

as well as two-horse conveyances, and a large num- 
ber of automobiles and motorcycles. 

There is attached to the town a large native lo- 
cation, for the heavy part of the work as well as 
the housework is about all done by native boys. 
They are all called " boys." In the eyes of their 
white employers the native seldom becomes a man. 
He may be an old boy or a young boy, a little boy 
or a big boy, but he is always a boy. On the other 
hand, in the eyes of many Europeans it is almost 
an insult to speak of their children as boys. In the 
early days one of the missionaries, in speaking to 
an old European lady, said something about her 
boy. She straightened herself proudly and with 
emphasis said, -" My son." At the mission one day 
a native woman was begging very hard for a piece 
of cloth, and to strengthen her request she said, 
" I am your boy," evidently meaning that she be- 
longed to me. 

Although Bulawayo is the largest town in South- 
ern Rhodesia, there are others, such as Salisbury, 
Gwelo, Victoria, and Gwanda, which deserve men- 
tion. Farmers are scattered throughout the coun- 
try, especially along the high, rolling plain between 
Bulawayo and Salisbury. There are many valuable 
gold mines and many old gold workings to be found 
in various places. The most noted is Great Zim- 
babwe, near Victoria. It is said : " The ruins cover 
a large area, and on an eminence are the remains of 
a fortress, the walls of which are thirty feet high 
and ten feet thick, and built of cut stones put to- 
gether without mortar, so closely-fitting that a 
knife can hardly be inserted between them. Smelt- 



MATOPO MISSION 



221 




Mtshabezi Church and School. 




Mtshabezi Mission in 1910. 



222 AFRICA 

ing crucibles, with gold in them, ingot moulds, and 
spears have been found." Some think that the 
Sabeans from Arabia worked these about 3,000 
years ago. This is thought by some to be the " gold 
of Ophir." Ruins on a smaller scale are to be found 
in various places. Not far from Mapani Mission we 
saw a circular wall made of wedge-shaped stones, 
nicely fitted together. The country is also rich in 
iron ore, and at Wankie is the great coal-mining 
district. All these places furnish abundant work 
for all the natives of Rhodesia, and are also centers 
for mission work. 

January 1, I was again taken to Motopo Mission, 
not with the slow, patient donkeys of fifteen years 
ago, but with the swifter mules. Many changes 
have taken place among the natives surrounding the 
mission since 1898. On our first entering this valley 
the natives had just fled and hid themselves away in 
these rocks at the close of the Rebellion. They 
were then very poor, without flocks and herds, and 
had few gardens, and very little of the land had 
ever been brought under cultivation. Since then 
the natives have gradually come out of their hiding- 
places and settled down to their work. Under the 
influence of peace and better teaching their sur- 
roundings have greatly changed. There are more 
natives near the mission than at first, and they 
have sheep, goats, and cattle, and some of them 
.have plows and oxen to draw them, so that they can 
plow their large gardens. Every available place 
near the mission has been brought under cultiva- 
tion, but not in the old, laborious way with human 
oxen, so that the wives are not the slaves they once 



MATOPO MISSION 223 

were. Of course, in the absence of the men at work 
the women often hold the plow, but they have more 
time to keep house. One of the officials affirms 
that the best way of doing away with polygamy is 
by introducing civilized ways of farming. 

The people began by bringing their oxen to 
Brother Steigerwald to be trained, and then he 
helped them to procure plows, and they still come 
to him for help in trouble. The 3,000-acre farm is 
far too small for all who desire to live near the 
mission. If he had twice the amount of land it 
would soon become filled with natives, who would 
thus be near the mission and under the influence of 
the Gospel. 

Let us visit some of the houses and see what 
changes have taken place. Here first is the home 
of Matshuba. As he was first in the fold, he is 
worthy of first notice. He lives in a small, neatly- 
built brick house, with a well-swept yard inclosed 
by a fence. Inside the house are homemade bed- 
steads, chairs and tables, and here is Matshuba the 
same as of yore. He is older and has fought many 
battles since that first day when, as a little boy, he 
came and watched the newcomers. He has found 
the conflict severe and almost overpowering at 
times. It has left some scars, but, praise God! he 
has come off victorious at last, and in a more humble 
spirit he is following the meek and lowly Savior. 
He is Elder Steigerwald's right-hand man and is 
capable of turning his hand to almost any kind of 
work. He can take the blacksmith tools and mend 
the large three-disc plow; he can make use of the 
small engine and grind the meal for the native food, 



224 AFRICA 

or do any other kind of work about the place. Best 
of all, he can go out and tell the people about Je- 
sus. He had hoped that the elder's many-sided 
ability might be his, and he seems to have had his 
wish. He could secure much larger pay as an 
engineer in the mines, but he feels that his place is 
in the Lord's work. May he have our prayers that 
he may always find God's grace sufficient. 




Baptismal Scene. 



Here too is his wife, Makiwa. She was also edu- 
cated at Matopo Mission, where she learned not 
only in school, but also in the kitchen and sewing- 
room, that she might know how to take care of her 
home and family. A faithful helpmate she has 
been to her husband and a blessing in the Church. 
Here are their little boy and girl, whom they are 



MATOPO MISSION 225 

bringing up in the fear of the Lord. This old wom- 
an, also neatly dressed, is Matshuba's mother, long 
a slave to her old religion, her superstitious ideas, 
her beer and her tobacco. Now she has accepted 
Christ as her Savior and He has cleansed her and 
she is in the Church. And this bright-looking girl 
is her daughter, Sixpence. She was only about four 
or five years old when we came to Matopo. Now 
she is a tall, fine-looking Christian woman and well 
taught. She has on a neat-looking black dress 
which, Sister Steigerwald tells me, she cut and 
sewed without any help from the missionaries. Yes, 
this is a Christian home, from which we hope and 
pray that the evils of heathendom have flown for- 
ever. 

There are others. First is Anyana, long a faith- 
ful helper of the mission, and his w r ife, Citiwa, also 
one of our girls. Then comes Siyaya, who had some 
falls, but he has at last got his feet on the Rock and 
is helping to tell others of Christ. Mahlenhle is also 
here. He is the same faithful boy as of old, one of 
those who never give their missionary any uneasi- 
ness. He is always ready and willing to do what 
he can, which is not a little. He teaches, he preaches, 
and interprets for others, or he can go out and 
handle the oxen and see to the farming. There are 
also many new ones in church and school, several 
of whom are assisting in teaching. There are forty- 
two boys staying at the mission for school, and a 
number coming to day-school. Sister Heise has 
plenty to do, for she teaches both early morning 
and midday, and is doing excellent work. There 
are about 150 regular attendants at the Sunday serv- 



226 AFRICA 

ices. The majority of them are young men and 
women and children. Almost all are respectably 
clothed and are seeking to know the Lord. The 
girls who desire to stay at the missionaries' and be 
trained are now sent to the Girls' School at Mtya- 
bezi Mission. There is a large sewing class at this 
place for those who wish to learn. Two new mis- 
sionaries, Brother Levi Steckly and Sister Cora Al- 
vis, are also assisting in the work at Matopo. 

I went out among the people, eager to secure a 
snapshot of a kraal, as they formerly were, but I 
failed. They are all better built and more cleanly 
than formerly. In every village there are some 
who wear European clothing, for even if they have 
not accepted Christ as their Savior, some have put 
on the garments of civilization. There are, of 
course, many among the older ones who have not 
changed much, and who have always hardened their 
hearts and stiffened their necks against the truth. 
This has been the condition of the world ever since 
the Fall, and it will no doubt continue until all sin 
and wickedness shall be put under foot and He 
shall reign in righteousness. If the command had 
been " Go into all the world and make disciples of 
every creature," missionaries would have given up 
long ago in despair. Miss Carmichael, in her work, 
" Things as They Are in Missionary Work in South- 
ern India," says, " It is required in a steward that a 
man be found faithful. Praise God ! it does not say 
• successful.' " The same will apply to missionary 
work in Africa. 

During the year of our visit the rains were un- 
usually late, and, as the harvest had been quite light 



MATOPO MISSION 227 

the previous year, .sonic of the people were in great 
need of grain. Brother Steigerwald was doing all 
in his power to get grain out from Bulawayo for 

them. The six mules were hauling out every week 
to the extent of their strength, for farmers are not 
allowed to take their oxen on the road, for fear 
disease may spread among the cattle. As the wagon 
returned from Bulawayo with fifteen 200-pound bags 
of grain on it, the people, who had been watching 
for its return, hastened to come to the mission to 
purchase. Grain Avas expensive, about seven or 
eight dollars a bag; but as soon as it was unloaded 
it was sold. Their people must have food, and many 
of the able-bodied natives had been away to work 
and thus procured money, and perhaps a month's 
wages would buy one bag of grain. Others were 
trying to sell some of the cattle and sheep for grain. 
Although many of these old people who were buy- 
ing had not accepted Christ as their Savior, yet 
they have absolute confidence in His messenger, 
Elder Steigerwald, and they come to him in their 
difficulties, knowing that he has a kind heart. He 
is their father, as Sister Steigerwald is their mother. 
A love feast had been announced for Mtyabezi 
Mission the middle of January, and arrangements 
had been made for all the wdiite workers and as 
many of the native converts as possible to attend. 
Mr. Steckly and Mr. Hemming went across the 
hills, twenty-five miles, on foot, and the rest of us 
went by wagon around on the road — a distance of 
about forty-five miles. This road was down through 
the hills in the direction of Mapani Mission. We 
started on Thu r sday morning, sleeping out on the 



228 AFRICA 

veldt during the night, and reached Mtyabezi on 
Friday afternoon. 

Brother Freys were at that time in America on 
furlough, but the work was ably carried on by 
Brother Walter Winger and his wife, formerly 
Abbie Bert, and Sister Elizabeth Engle. This is 
now known as our Girls' School. Twenty-five girls 
were then staying at the mission, and they are being 
trained in housework and sewing, in addition to 
school and outside work. They are also supplying 
some of our Christian boys with Christian wives, 
and Christian marriage is taking the place of heath- 
en rites. In addition to these there was a good- 
sized day-school, which was under the excellent 
management of Miss Sadie Book. There were also 
several large out-schools in connection with this 
mission. A large brick house was nearly completed 
and they were at the same time living in it. This 
part of the country south of the hills was especially 
suffering from drought at this time. Although this 
was in the middle of what should have been the 
rainy season, yet no rains had fallen, and the entire 
country was bare, not a blade of grass was to be 
seen, and the grain sown had not yet sprouted. 
Brother Winger was busy with his wagon, getting 
grain out from the station ten miles away to help 
the people. 

This was the first love feast in Southern Rhodesia 
that I had been permitted to attend for nearly seven 
years, and I had looked eagerly forward to this 
gathering. The joy of seeing the natives assemble 
for the occasion was too deep for words. First to 
come were some of the communicants from Matopo 



MATOPO MISSION 229 

Mission on Friday evening. The sisters were walk- 
ing in front, Indian file, with their blankets and 
Sunday clothing tied up in a bundle and carried on 
their heads, and Sixpence leading the way. Follow- 
ing these were the brethren, with Matshuba bring- 
ing up the rear. It was now sundown and they had 
walked twenty-five miles and were tired, so they 
were shown their places for the night, and after eat- 
ing their supper, and prayer, they retired. The next 
morning early a similar crowd came from Mapani 
Station, fifteen miles distant. A number also gath- 
ered from the vicinity of Mtyabezi and out-schools 
on Saturday morning. The little church could not 
hold all and an overflow meeting was held on the 
outside. There were also a number of members 
who could not be present. 

Saturday morning was devoted to a short dis- 
course and self-examination meeting, followed by 
testimonies. It was an inspiration to look over the 
crowded house and listen to the earnest testimonies 
following one after another in rapid succession. 
Often four or five would be on their feet at once, 
and yet there was no confusion or disorder, as each 
one quietly waited for his time to speak. We had 
to say to ourselves, again and again, " What hath 
God wrought!" We could not avoid contrasting 
the early days of nakedness and midnight heathen- 
dom with this enlightened, well-dressed company 
before us. In fact, the contrast was so marked that 
one could scarcely bridge the chasm even in imag- 
ination. 

In the afternoon seventeen from Mtyabezi Mission 
and its out-schools were received into the Church 



230 



AFRICA 




Girls at Mtshabezi Mission. 



by the right hand of fellowship. On account of the 
drought and lack of water in the streams, the bap- 
tism was deferred until a later date. There were 
several others who made application, but after ex- 



MATOPO MISSION 231 

animation it was thought that some were not ready. 
On Saturday evening the natives had a meeting of 
their own and were addressed by Myamazana, while 
the missionaries had an English service and were 
addressed by Bishop Steigerwald. 

On Sunday morning we again gathered to ob- 
serve the ordinance of feet-washing and to com- 
memorate the sufferings and death of our Savior. 
There were over 300 natives gathered together, 
nearly all of whom were either members or in- 
quirers. The native communicants were 129 and 
the white ones eleven, making 140 in all, and these 
assembled in the Church while the rest were ad- 
dressed by Mahlenhle and others on the outside. 
We had now a better opportunity of looking into 
the faces of those who had been received into 
Church fellowship. As our missionaries are in close 
touch with their people and know pretty well their 
private lives, we knew something of the company 
before us. 

It was indeed an intelligent and respectable-look- 
ing company of men and women, one to be proud 
of, if I might use the term. Its respectability did 
not depend so much on the fact that they had 
thrown off the undress of paganism and had donned 
the garments of civilization. That is not necessarily 
an adjunct of Christianity, nor is it all due to Chris- 
tian influence. While the missionaries have been 
laboring these years to win souls to Christ, many 
civilizing influences have been at work throughout 
the country, some of which have been previously 
mentioned. Stores with European clothing are to 
be found everywhere, and many natives discard 



232 AFRICA 

their heathen garb for civilized clothing and yet 
know absolutely nothing of Christ and His power to 
save. Some of these well-dressed natives about the 
towns have learned far more of the evils of civiliza- 
tion than of its virtues, and hide under their new 
dress an even blacker heart than they did under 
their old pagan exterior. Then too we are sorry to 
say that intelligence in the sense of having been at 
a mission station and learning to read does not 
necessarily make them Christians. Some of these 
also, to the great sorrow of their teachers, have 
made poor use of their knowledge. 

It is because the missionary sees this, and knows 
only too- well the many pitfalls before their unwary 
feet; it is because he realizes, as probably no one 
else does, what it means to these poor souls to be 
so suddenly brought from the dense darkness of 
heathendom into the glaring lights of modern civili- 
zation, and how unprepared they are for it all, how 
little they know to shun the evil and choose the 
good ; it is because he knows how helpless these 
are who have suddenly broken loose from their old 
tribal laws and customs — some of which were bene- 
ficial — and have been cast on the untried sea of 
strange and bewildering surroundings, without any 
anchor to hold or compass and chart to guide them— 
I say it is because the missionary knows all this and 
much more that he can rejoice over such a crowd of 
fine-looking, stalwart men and women as were gath- 
ered there that day to commemorate the sufferings 
and death of our Lord. 

He sees in the company before him Christian 
homes, free from ignorance and superstition, free 



MATOPO MISSION 233 

from witchcraft and pagan worship, free from the 
beer, the tilth, and degradation of their neighbors. 
He sees in this company, homes free from the li- 
centiousness and vice so common not only among 
their heathen neighbors, but, sad to say, also among 
some of their white ones. The missionary can re- 
joice that here are men and women who have the 
Anchor in their souls and are standing as beacon 
lights to their heathen neighbors and friends. It 
means much to them on the one hand to break off 
from their old heathen lives ; it means much on the 
other not to be allured by the evils of the white 
man's civilization and the inducements so often 
thrown out to lead lives of sin. To come out from 
all these and accept Christ as Savior and be true to 
Him would seem to be an almost Herculean task, 
and much greater than those in Christian lands are 
called upon to perform. But we know that it has 
been and is being accomplished. While one feels 
to rejoice over these sheep, at the same time he 
bears a heavy heart for those other ones which have 
been devoured by the grievous wolves. 

The missionary is about the only force that makes 
for righteousness among the natives, and he would 
often feel that his task was an impossible one did he 
not continually realize that he is only under orders 
of Him Who is sure in the end to win. Lest some 
may think that I am overestimating some of these 
things, let me again quote Mr. Evans, who is an 
authority on native affairs from a governmental 
standpoint. He says : 

" What is effecting the most profound change in 
the native is his contact with the white man at all 



234 AFRICA 

points, and this change is proceeding with ever- 
accelerating speed. The fundamental difference be- 
tween these changes and those wrought by the 
missionaries is that, in the former there is little 
building up of any salutary influence to take the 
place of the old wholesome restraints, whilst in the 
latter religion and morality are inculcated and re- 
place the checks weakened or destroyed." 

The work in Southern Rhodesia is by no means 
completed ; it is only fairly begun. The natives are 
just beginning to see the advantages of Christian 
teaching, and are calling more and more loudly for 
schools, and they are eagerly availing themselves 
of the opportunities afforded. There is a large field 
to work and the time is opportune. Let every one 
of God's children ask himself what his duty and 
privileges are in taking possession of the country for 
God. Our people should have at least one more 
station of white missionaries here as well as others 
for native workers. Shall we leave to themselves 
these people, who are emerging from centuries of 
darkness, to the influence of a corrupt civilization? 
Our missionaries are laboring to the extent of their 
ability and the means at their disposal. The work 
can advance only as it is backed up by the people of 
the homeland, together with their prayers and 
money. Something depends upon you, my reader, 
whoever you may be. What part have you had in 
the winning of these souls? What part are you 
going to have in those yet unborn into the King- 
dom? 



PART TWO 
MACHA MISSION 



" Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end 

of the world" 

—Matt. 28: 20 



CHAPTER ONE 
Bound for the Zambezi 

AFRICA is a gigantic and dark continent. In 
fact, it is several continents in one. Al- 
though nearly every one seems to know 
something of its immensity, yet very few persons 
realize it unless they have resided for a time in 
some portion of its vast interior ; even then their 
knowledge of it is likely to be quite vague. For 
centuries travelers of various nationalities sought 
to penetrate it, many of whom perished in the effort, 
while others brought back wonderful stories of peril 
and adventure. 

It remained for David Livingstone, however, to 
unearth the secrets of Central Africa and to expose 
to the gaze of Christendom something of its con- 
dition and needs. He inspired missionaries to press 
into the narrow opening thus made, and to carry the 
light of the Gospel to the millions bound in chains 
of darkness and blackest midnight. Messengers 
have been heeding the call and have been kindling 
fires, one here and another there, in the darkness. 

In dealing with missionary work in Africa we 
must continually keep in mind the fact that the na- 
tives are much scattered. The population cannot 
definitely be ascertained, but it is variously esti- 
mated at from 130 to 150 millions of people. These 
are scattered over a territory equal in area to the 
237 



238 AFRICA 

United States of America, Europe, India, and China 
combined. In certain portions, such as the Sahara 
and Kalahari Deserts, there are very few natives, 
while the lower plains and river valleys support a 
large population. These alluvial plains, where na- 
ture affords an abundance of food with a minimum 
of labor, offer great inducements to the easy-going- 
Africans. Here they settle in large numbers, not 
greatly inconvenienced by the unhealthfulness of 
the locality. Pampered by the amazing prodigality 
of nature on all sides, so that they need not exert 
themselves much for food, and requiring little cloth- 
ing in this mild, temperature, they settle themselves 
to the enjoyment of their animal natures. 

The missionary, as he enters these swamps, which 
are reeking with malaria and other death-breeding 
diseases, takes his life in his hand ; for Africa has 
the unenviable reputation of being the " white man's 
graveyard." It is true the medical fraternity are 
fast solving some of the problems which confront 
everyone entering the country, .yet many difficulties 
still lie in the path of the missionaries who desire to 
settle in the more densely populated regions. 

In the old days of Dr. Livingstone and his im- 
mediate successors, it required almost a small for- 
tune to penetrate Central Africa. In addition to 
this the way by wagon or by native carriers was 
long and tiresome, and the traveler was subject to 
delays by swollen rwers, dying oxen, and many 
other things. He was often in danger of his life by 
wild animals or still wilder men, so that some never 
reached their desired goal. Even after missionaries 
had succeeded in establishing mission stations, they 



MACHA MISSION 239 

suffered much in health from exposure and lack of 
comfortable homes, and they were obliged to live 
on the coarse native food much of the time, on ac- 
count of the difficulty in procuring supplies, even 
though they might have had sufficient money to 
procure better food. 

At the present day the railroads are eliminating 
much of this difficulty. Their advance is accom- 
plishing more than any other agency in opening 
up the continent to the Gospel. They are extend- 
ing right into the heart of the country, making use 
of the plateaus on which to build, and bringing the 
necessities of life and even many of its luxuries 
within reach of the white inhabitants. 

In the year 1904 the Cape to Cairo Railroad was 
completed as far as the Victoria Falls on the Zam- 
bezi River, a distance by rail of 1,642 miles from 
Cape Town. This part of Africa as far as the Zam- 
bezi is generally known as South Africa. If one 
examines a map, it is easy to be seen that in size it 
is a very inconspicuous part of the African Contin- 
ent ; but in point of modern civilization and twen- 
tieth-century methods of doing things it compares 
very favorably with any other country. Especially 
can this be said of the towns and vicinity, but there 
are yet many natives who are without the Gospel. 
On my return to Africa, in 1905, the railroad was 
being extended north of the Zambezi, the objective 
point at that time being Broken Hill, making a total 
distance of 2,016 miles from Cape Town. 

The facts just mentioned had nothing to do with 
our call to interior Africa, for that came before we 
knew what the actual conditions were and before 



240 AFRICA 

the railroad north of Bulawayo was built. The 
opening made by the railroad, however, had much 
to do in making the advance practicable at this time. 

After our return from America we engaged in 
the work at Matopo and Mapani for nearly a year, 
and continued looking to the Lord to ascertain His 
will as to the time of opening the new work, for we 
were hoping that there would be other missionaries 
ready to move out. Money was on hand for the 
purpose. This meant something. While I was in 
America, as the needs of pagan Africa were set 
forth, one after another would slip a bill into my 
hand, saying, " I too want a share in pushing on 
that work into the interior of Africa." What did it 
all mean — the lack of workers, the ready money and 
the intense longing in my own soul to carry the 
Light to those people? We had now waited a year 
with no prospects of others being ready to go. 

Brother Steigerwald was sending to America for 
a large Studebaker wagon, and he advised that one 
also be ordered for the forward move, that both 
might be sent out together. These arrived in May, 
1906. Ndhlalambi had felt called some time before 
to carry the Gosepl beyond the Zambezi. Although 
he was quite young, he was proving to be a very 
steadfast and useful helper, both at Matopo and at 
Mapani Mission. When they were opening the 
latter station, Sister Emma Doner wrote to me — 
as I was in America at the time — and said, " Ndhla- 
lambi is such a good helper in erecting our build- 
ings, as Levi has been quite sick. Perhaps the 
Lord is preparing him so that he can build for you 
in Interior Africa." At that time, however, I little 



MACHA MISSION 



241 




Victoria Falls Bridge. 



242 AFRICA 

thought that it would be necessary to rely upon 
him for that work. 

The time drew near when a decision must be 
made, either to move out or to postpone the open- 
ing of the work for another year, and much time 
was spent out among the rocks alone with Him. 
From a human standpoint it appeared to be a haz- 
ardous undertaking to enter such a new country, and 
many obstacles were in the way. I had been in- 
vited to spend the year at Mapani Mission, and was 
quite ready to do so, providing that was the Lord's 
will for me. On the other hand, if He desired that 
the work beyond the Zambezi be opened this year, 
all power is in His hands; it would be a small affair 
for Him to go before and prepare the way. The 
more we looked to Him to ascertain His will the 
stronger the conviction became that the time was 
at hand. Sister Adda Engle also expressed herself 
as being ready for the work. The rest of the mis- 
sionaries were requested to make the matter a 
special subject of prayer. They did so, and a few 
felt that an onward move was to be made ; but the 
majority said they did not have a clear understand- 
ing of the Lord's will in reference to it. 

It was hoped that Brother Steigerwald might be 
able to accompany us to open up the work; but 
there were so many lines of work engaging his at- 
tention at the time that it was impossible for him 
to leave. He, however, fitted out the new wagon 
with a strong body and a fine large tent, 6 x 13 feet 
over the whole, and as far as possible put everything 
in readiness for the journey. 

Our company included, besides Sister Engle and 



MACHA MISSION 243 

myself, the two native Christian boys, Ndhlalambi 
Moyo and Gomo Sibanda. The latter was going 
chiefly for the manual labor. They were both trust- 
worthy and we knew they could be depended upon. 
It was again the 4th of July when we started on this 
northern journey, just eight years from the day on 
which we had left Bulawayo for Matopo. Brother 
and Sister Steigerwald and Sister Frey accompanied 
us as far as Bulawayo, expecting to aid us in pur- 
chasing supplies and to assist us in getting started 
north. Mr. Jackson, the English magistrate at Fort 
Usher, gave us letters of introduction to the Civil 
Commissioner and the Administrator of North- 
ern Rhodesia, as the country north of the Zambezi 
is called. 

Unfortunately it was found, on reaching Bula- 
wayo, that much of the business could not be attend- 
ed to that week on account of holidays, so that our 
friends were obliged to return to their station. The 
Monday following was a busy and trying day on 
account of the many things to be attended to and 
the long distances to be traversed. We wished to 
purchase supplies for the greater part of the year, 
for we knew not what awaited us and where the 
next would come from ; and it was also necessary 
that all the goods be sent on the same train on 
which we went. Everything was finally accom- 
plished, and July 10, 1906, found all our supplies, 
about 2,800 pounds in weight, and the wagon, on 
the train bound for Victoria Falls. 

As Sister Engle and I entered our compartment 
on the train and began to move northward, many 
conflicting emotions stirred within us, and it was 



244 AFRICA 

with much trembling and looking to the Lord that 
we went forward. We knew not what opposition 
confronted us ; for we had been informed by those 
who knew something of the country that the offi- 
cials might not allow us to proceed farther than the 
Zambezi River. Only the consciousness that we were 
under Divine orders gave courage to proceed. We 
had the promise, " Commit thy way unto the Lord; 
trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass," 
and we were resting in it. 

The journey of 280 miles to Victoria Falls is 
through new territory. There were no towns — 
nothing but small station houses — and the country 
is wild and in some places quite jungly-looking and 
infested by numerous wild animals. At Wankie we 
passed through the region of the coal-mining dis- 
trict, where there is a large vein of coal which is a 
most valuable adjunct of the railroad. Victoria 
Falls was at that time the terminus of the govern- 
ment-owned railroads, and the limit to which reg- 
ular trains ran ; and we could not avoid wondering 
what was awaiting us beyond that. 

As we stepped off the train at Victoria Falls a 
gentleman approached us, and introducing himself 
as a forwarding agent, inquired if he could be of 
any assistance to us. He inquired if we were not 
from Matopo Mission, and at the same time stated 
that he had met Mr. Steigerwald in Bulawayo. 
What a surprise and relief it was to us, for he 
seemed to be God's especial messenger, sent to help 
us on the way. When he learned of the situation 
he at once set our minds at rest by the assurance 
that he would attend to everything and see that the 



MACHA MISSION 245 

goods and wagon, as well as ourselves, were safely 
taken across the Zambezi River to the town of Liv- 
ingstone, seven miles on the other side. The railroad 
at this time was completed to Broken Hill, 374 miles 
farther north, but trains were run only occasionally. 
We were obliged to wait at this place two days 
before an engine could be procured to take us over 
to Livingstone. 

An opportunity was thus afforded of viewing that 
magnificent sight, Victoria Falls, which was dis- 
covered by David Livingstone in 1855, but of which 
little was known until comparatively late years. 
This surpassingly grand bit of scenery is considered 
by some people to outrival that pride of all Amer- 
icans, Niagara Falls. In dimensions, at least, it 
certainly does surpass the American wonder. The 
Zambezi is 1,936 yards wide where it takes its 
mighty plunge of 400 feet into a vast chasm below, 
only to be turned into clouds of spray again and 
rise perhaps a thousand feet into the air. Rainbows 
play about it, forming a scene of wonderful beauty 
and grandeur. The rock over which the river flows 
has a gigantic V-shaped crack about 300 feet wide, 
into which chasm the water plunges. The opposite 
wall is unbroken, save at one place where it forms 
a gorge 300 feet wide, through which narrow chan- 
nel all the water of the falls, over a mile wide, 
escapes. Along this opposite wall of rock is " Rain 
Forest," so called because it is always dripping and, 
needless to say, the vegetation here is most luxuriant. 
Six hundred and sixty feet below the gorge is a rail- 
road bridge, 650 feet long and 420 feet above the 
water, the central span being 500 feet. The view 



246 



AFRICA 




MACHA MISSION 247 

of these falls greatly changes at different seasons 
of the year. To see them at the height of their mag- 
nificence, one should visit them at the close of the 

rainy season in April, as at that time the volume of 
water is much greater. At the close of the dry 
season, in October or November, when the water is 
shallow, the Falls are often much broken in some 
places. As this is one of the greatest of the sights 
of South Africa, thousands of tourists visit the 
scene, and a hotel had been erected near the railroad 
at this place. 

Our agent informed us that on July 13 an engine 
would come and transfer ourselves, together with 
the goods and wagon, to the Livingstone station on 
the north side. For this purpose the wagon and 
goods were loaded on an open truck, and as there 
was no passenger car, we too climbed up into the 
wagon, on the truck, and in this manner crossed 
the Zambezi on that railroad bridge, 420 feet high. 
At Livingstone the car was met by another agent 
who, with his boys, assisted by ours, unloaded the 
car and placed the wagon under the shade of a 
tree. Here it was fitted up as a dwelling-place for 
Sister Engle and myself for the remainder of the 
journey. It was a home on wheels. We praised the 
Lord that He had cared for us this far on our jour- 
ney and permitted our feet to be planted on the 
north side of the river. Oxen could not be taken 
beyond the Zambezi for fear of carrying disease, 
so it was necessary that some be purchased before 
we proceeded farther. 

This part of the country, like Southern Rhodesia, 
is under control of the British Charter Company, 



248 AFRICA 

but with a separate government. Unlike that, it 
does not belong to the English by right of conquest, 
but through concessions granted by Lewanika, the 
King of Barotseland, and paramount chief of the 
country, for the purpose of exploration and develop- 
ment. The country is occupied by three main tribes 
— the Barotse, living along the Upper Zambezi and 
west of Victoria Falls ; the Baila, or Mashukulum- 
bwe, as they are often called, living along the Kafue 
River and north, and the Batonga, on the plateau 
between the Kafue and Zambezi Rivers and east. 

Those familiar with his life will remember that 
this is part of the country explored by Dr. Living- 
stone during his first and second great missionary 
journeys through Central Africa, from 1853 to about 
1860. The Barotse at that time were subject to the 
Makololo, who had emigrated from Basutoland and 
settled along the Upper Zambezi. The Makololo 
warriors were also responsible for the death of the 
first party of missionaries to this part of the country. 
I refer to the expedition under Price and Helmore, 
sent out in 1859 in response to Dr. Livingstone's 
urgent call. Nearly all of this party of missionaries 
died from poison administered by these natives, to 
the great sorrow of the African explorer. His mem- 
orable prophecy, " God will require the blood of 
His servants at the hands of you Makololo," was 
soon fulfilled. It is said that just four years after- 
wards the Barotse arose against their rulers, the 
Makololo, and slew them and asserted their inde- 
pendence. 

It was in this part of Africa too that Livingstone 
first saw some of the evils of the slave trade, and in 



MACHA MISSION 249 

1873 he wrote to Mr. Gordon Bennett: "When I 
dropped among the Makololo and others in this 
central region, 1 saw a fair prospect for the regen- 
eration of Africa. More could have been done in 
the Makololo country [which is today known as 
Barotseland] than was done by St. Patrick in Ire- 
land, but I did not know that I was surrounded by 
the Portuguese slave trade ; a barrier to all improve- 
ment. . . . All I can say in my loneliness is, may 
Heaven's richest blessing come down on every one, 
American, Englishman, Turk, who will help to heal 
this open sore of the world." A very remarkable 
circumstance connected with this utterance is that 
he evidently did not imagine at that time that the 
healing was to come first from yet another country, 
France. Just six years (in 1879) after those memor- 
able words were uttered, Rev. F. Coillard settled in 
Barotseland. He and his heroic wife deserve of all 
people in this part of the country to be called Liv- 
ingstone's successors. 

• These natives could speak the Suto language, and 
as the Scriptures had been translated into that lan- 
guage for years, those books could be used here 
among the Barotse, just as Zulu could be used in 
Matabeleland. In the opening up of that work, 
Christian natives from Basutoland, a thousand miles 
farther south, volunteered to accompany Coillard. 
It is said, " Just on the border of Barotseland one of 
these native evangelists, Eleazer, died. ' God be 
blessed,' he exclaimed, when he knew that he must 
give up his heart's desire of preaching Christ to the 
Barotse, ' God be blessed ! the door is open. My 
grave will be a finger post of the mission,' " as quot- 



250 AFRICA 

ed by James Steward. So that it may be seen that 
consecrated Africans also did their part in helping 
to heal this sore. Coillard and his successors have 
ever since carried on a 'most far-reaching work in 
Barotseland. About twenty years after the work 
was opened, Brother Engle had the great pleasure 
of accidentally meeting this venerable messenger of 
the Cross, Mr. Coillard, in a store in Bulawayo. His 
hair then was white, but he was as intensely inter- 
ested as ever in his work, and was in a hurry to be 
back to his field of labor. As, at that time, there was 
no railroad farther than Bulawayo, he had to travel 
about 300 miles by ox-wagon and then by boat on 
the river. The labors of the missionaries and the 
advantages of good government have accomplished 
marvelous results in bringing peace and safety to 
this valley, yet even at this late date there are not 
wanting those who, if they dared, would rejoice to 
resurrect the old slave trade. 

Among the Baila tribe the Primitive Methodists 
of England, after encountering many difficulties 
along the way, had begun a work in 1893 at Nkala, 
and a few years later at Nanzela. In 1905 they also 
opened one at Nambala, about seventy-five miles 
north of the Kafue. Although they were doing ex- 
cellent work, they had as yet been able to reach only 
a small portion of the Baila tribe when we appeared 
on the scene. There were no missionaries among 
the Batonga tribe living on the plateau between the 
Zambezi and Kafue Rivers, until 1915, when a mis- 
sion was opened about 175 miles northeast of Living- 
stone by Mr. Anderson, of the Seventh Day Ad- 
ventist Mission. This was just one year before we 



MACHA MISSION 251 

reached the country. Livingstone in his journey 
had passed through much of this country, including 
Kalomo, Monze Tete, and the Kafue River. 



CHAPTER TWO 
From the Zambezi River to Macha 

THE town, Livingstone, was, in 1906, quite 
small, and consisted chiefly of government 
buildings, postoffice, native stores, railway 
station, and shops. Some of these buildings, espe- 
cially those owned by the government, were well 
made and ant-proof. The town was at a short dis- 
tance from the railway station and seemed to 
have been built on a hill of yellow sand, which sand 
was so deep that walking seemed almost impossible, 
and riding was very little improvement over walk- 
ing. 

Our first step was to call on the Commissioner, 
Mr. Sykes, and present the letter of introduction. 
He met us in a friendly and accommodating spirit, 
but gave no encouragement to proceed on into the 
interior, owing to the newness of the country and 
the unsettled condition of the natives in some places. 
His version of the work accomplished by mission- 
aries was not very flattering, but that did not deter 
us in the least, as one generally becomes accus- 
tomed to hearing such things. He, however, did not 
offer to throw any obstacles in the way of our 
progress, but stated that it would be necessary for us 
to have an interview with the Administrator (gov- 
ernor) at Kalomo, the capital of North Rhodesia. 
He expressed his willingness to do whatever lay in 
252 



MACHA MISSION 253 

his power to aid us in the undertaking, and advised 
that the purchasing of trained oxen for drawing the 
wagon be left in his hands, and he would see to it 
that good ones at a fair price were secured. This 
generous offer was most gratefully accepted. We 
were also invited to his home, and were most hos- 
pitably entertained by his estimable wife and his 
sister, and were made to feel that as yet we were 
not beyond the reach of civilization. They were 
living in a well-built mosquito-proof dwelling, which 
had been made in England and sent out ready to be 
put together. 

The next day a European brought to our tent ten 
trained oxen, with a note from Mr. Sykes, that he 
had proved these and found them satisfactory. The 
price too was below what had been expected. Thus 
equipped we were prepared to proceed to Kalomo, 
a distance by wagon road of nearly one hundred 
miles. A boy was employed to lead the oxen and a 
native government messenger was also sent along 
as guide. Gomo was to do the driving, but the man 
of whom the oxen had been purchased said he did 
not think the boy knew much about driving oxen, 
and so it proved later. There were occasional pas- 
senger trains running north through Kalomo, and 
some of the people at Livingstone had advised us to 
take the train that far and let the boys bring the 
wagon. Others, however, thought it best for us to 
stay by the wagon and supplies, as there was no 
suitable hotel at Kalomo, and it would be over a 
week before the wagon could reach that place, so 
we decided to remain with our supplies. 

The wagon was heavily laden, the roads were 



254 AFRICA 

rough, and rivers bridgeless. About ten miles 
out from Livingstone, in going over a piece of rocky 
road, the reach of the wagon broke and further 
progress was impossible. Had the drivers been 
accustomed to this wild country, and the accidents 
incidental to it, they might soon have made another 
reach with timber from the forest surrounding us, 
as they often did in later years. At that time, how- 
ever, we were helpless. What was to be done? 
There was only one course open, and that was to 
take the wagon back to Livingstone and have it 
mended. Some of the party remained with the 
wagon and supplies and the rest of us walked back 
to Livingstone to see what could be done. The 
question wanted to force itself upon us, Were we 
after all mistaken as to the Lord's leadings? 

Mr. Sykes was again the Good Samaritan, when 
he heard our story. The next morning he sent out 
conveyances to bring all back to Livingstone, and 
he and Mrs. Sykes insisted on our occupying the 
guest house until our wagon was repaired. There 
were no hotels in the place, and we were informed 
that prospectors and others often made use of the 
government house for an indefinite length of time. 
They said they were glad the accident had not oc- 
curred forty or fifty miles out, beyond the reach of 
help. We too felt deeply thankful that it had been 
no worse, and in a short time we were made to 
rejoice that there had been an accident; for it was 
soon evident that it was a blessing in disguise, and 
God had permitted it for a purpose. There were 
two roads to Kalomo, and neither was much trav- 
eled at the time. We learned that the one on which 



MACHA MISSION 255 

our guide was taking us was not well supplied with 
water, was infested with many savage beasts and 
the tsetse fly, which kills oxen, so that it was alto- 
gether unsafe for the journey. 

While we were waiting at Livingstone this second 
time, a great deal of information was gleaned in 
reference to the people and country north of Kal- 
omo, called the Mapanza Sub-district. We learned 
that the people there were quiet and peaceable and 
that there were no missionaries in that section of 
the country. We also met a gentleman from Kal- 
omo, who proved of assistance when we at last 
reached that place. Again information was received 
that a number of wagons under Mr. King were 
proceeding north to within a short distance of Kal- 
omo, and if we could travel in their company, all 
difficulties in regard to the route, the finding of 
water for the oxen, and dangers along the way 
would be at an end. A driver accustomed to the 
country was also secured to take the wagon as far 
as Kalomo. Thus equipped we again started. As 
we left Livingstone, Mr. Sykes exclaimed, " I feel 
more in favor now of your going on than I did the 
first time." 

On the first day out our wagon came up with Mr. 
King's company, which consisted of five large wag- 
ons, all heavily laden with goods and each drawn by 
eighteen oxen. They were traveling north to within 
twenty-five miles of Kalomo, and thence west and 
north to Tanganyika. We might have delayed a 
year and not have found so good an opportunity of 
traveling by wagon to Kalomo. We followed this 
train of wagons and had no anxious thought in 



256 AFRICA 

reference to the journey. Traveling by ox-wagons 
is done chiefly at night, or from very early morning 
until 9 A. M. Then the oxen are outspanned and 
allowed to graze and rest during the heat of the day, 
while the travelers cook, eat, and rest. Late in the 
afternoon the oxen are again inspanned and they 
travel until about 9 or 10 P. M., when they stop for 
the night. One or two large fires of logs are built 
at each wagon and kept burning through the night 
to ward off wild beasts from the oxen. Animals are 
afraid of the fire; especially do lions love darkness 
rather than light, their favorite nights for prowling 
being the dark, rainy ones. This king of beasts, al- 
though the strongest, is by no means the bravest. 
He does his loudest roaring in the midst of his na- 
tive haunts, far away from harm, and when near his 
prey, human or otherwise, his tread is most stealthy 
and catlike. 

Before retiring for the night the natives, especial- 
ly, cook and eat. They often do with a small por- 
tion of food during the day, but before retiring they 
like an abundance of good porridge and meat. They 
then retire to rest, their favorite place being around 
the huge campfires. Sister Engle and I were very 
comfortably situated in the tent of the wagon. Two 
other difficulties likely to meet travelers in this 
part of the country are scarcity of water and the 
tsetse fly. If the latter is met with it is necessary to 
make the journey through the infested district en- 
tirely by night. Since the uninitiated are not fa- 
miliar with the location of these districts, the oxen 
are often bitten without their knowledge, and death 
is certain, for as yet no remedy for the bite has 



MACHA MISSION 257 

been discovered. As for water, that is one of the 
great difficulties on these African plateaus, and at 
one time we were obliged to travel seventeen miles 
without seeing any. Since oxen, with heavily-laden 
wagons, travel slowly, this required the oxen to be 
inspanned three times before water was reached. 
Mr. King rode a horse and went in advance to look 
for water and camping places, and also for game, 
which generally furnishes a large proportion of the 
food, both for white people and black ones on such 
trips. We ourselves would be favored with a piece 
of delicious venison after such excursions. Water 
in casks was carried along from one watering place 
to another for cooking and drinking purposes, but 
it is never drunk without being boiled or made into 
tea, and even then it is often very muddy-looking. 

Mr. King was familiar with the country, and had 
formerly traded with the people in the vicinity of 
Macha, north of Kalomo, so that he could furnish 
all necessary information about the Mapanza dis- 
trict, to which we desired to go. This was the first 
time we heard the name of the place which was 
destined to be the future mission station. The in- 
formation received from him proved invaluable later 
on, when the question of location was being consid- 
ered. As the way thus opened, step by step, we 
were continually made to feel that the Lord was 
guiding and causing all things to work together for 
good toward the opening of the work, and our 
hearts were filled with gratitude for His many fa- 
vors. 

The last forty miles of the journey were made 
alone, as we did not care to travel on Sunday, and 



258 AFRICA 

the other wagons were soon to leave and proceed 
westward. We reached Kalomo August 1, after a 
journey of nine days. This place, although the chief 
seat of government, could not be designated a town. 
It was rather a scattered camp, containing two small 
stores, a postoffice, and the dwellings and offices of 
the government officials. The railway station was 
about three miles distant. Here the fate of the un- 
dertaking was to be decided, as to whether we 
should be permitted to proceed or be turned back. 
That morning in worship the Lord gave us Isaiah 
41 : 10 for a promise, which greatly encouraged our 
trembling hearts. We had now been absent from 
Bulawayo four weeks and had received no mail, as 
it had been ordered sent to this place ; so the first 
journey was to the postoffice. I went for the mail 
alone, and inquired first for myself. The clerk ex- 
claimed, "And Miss Engle, too?" and handed out 
a bundle of letters, all carefully laid together in a 
place by themselves. Evidently we were expected, 
and visitors were not common, especially women. 
It was necessary first to meet the secretary of 
the Lands' Department, so in the afternoon Sister 
Engle and I proceeded to his office. He had heard 
of our coming and absolutely refused a place in 
Mapanza district on which we might locate. His 
reasons were more or less plausible, and we were 
not wholly unprepared for his answer. We learned 
afterwards that we were not the only persons who 
had failed to receive encouragement from this 
gentleman. He added, however, that they could not 
hinder our proceeding farther if we felt so inclined. 
He suggested our going to Broken Hill, the ter- 



MACHA MISSION 259 

minus of the railroad, 280 miles northeast, as there 
were some white inhabitants there. That no doubt 
would have been a good opening for a mission sta- 
tion, as there were no missionaries there at this 
time, and only one between Kalomo and that place. 
It did not, however, seem to be the Lord's will for 
us to proceed that far, and since there would be a 
new set of officials there to deal with, our reception 
might not be any better. After sending our letter 
of introduction to the Administrator, we turned to- 
ward the wagon to consider and pray over the affair 
realizing that a more perplexing problem than a 
broken wagon was facing us. 

We had not proceeded far when a gentleman came 
to inform us that the Administrator, who is the 
highest official in the country, requested an inter- 
view. We were kindly received by the honorable 
gentleman and given an opportunity of explaining 
in what part of the country we desired to open a 
mission station, and the condition of the natives in 
that section. He said that he saw no serious dif- 
ficulty in the way, and that he was in favor of al- 
lowing us to proceed and select a mission site. He 
affirmed, however, that the unhealthfulness of the 
climate was the most serious obstacle ; and, since it 
was late in the season for us to put up a mosquito- 
proof dwelling before the rainy and unhealthy sea- 
son came, he thought it best for us to select a place 
and then go south until the rains were over. Other- 
wise we might be stricken with fever, a deadly type 
of which, known as black water fever, is common 
in this section of the country. We promised to con- 
sider seriously his advice, if a proper dwelling could 



260 AFRICA 

not be secured before the rains came. He then di- 
rected us to the civil commissioner of that district, 
who especially encouraged the undertaking, ex- 
pressing his belief that we would encounter no dif- 
ficulty among the natives, since he was familiar with 
and had jurisdiction of Mapanza district. He said, 
" The field is before you, and as there are no other 
missionaries there, it is yours to occupy." He also 
gave a letter to the magistrate at Mapanza and a 
native messenger to show us the way. 

It was with thankfulness too deep for words that 
we returned to the wagon. God was again verifying 
His wonderful promises. Praise His Holy Name! 
Part of our freight had been sent to Kalomo by 
train, so after procuring that from the station, we 
proceeded north about sixty miles through Macha 
and other places to the camp of the official at Ma- 
panza. When about half the distance was traversed 
we unexpectedly came upon a Dutch family living 
there all alone in the wilds. They had not been 
there long and were not permanent settlers, but we 
managed to purchase from them some fine imported 
chickens and some banana sprouts, all of which 
have proved to be a most useful addition to our 
mission property. 

The natives were much scattered in a portion of 
the country through which we passed until we ap- 
proached the vicinity of Macha. Here they were 
much more thickly settled, and also from this on 
to the camp at Mapanza. At the latter place the 
official was not at home. While waiting for him we 
concluded to visit some of the natives and went to 
the village of one of the most prominent chiefs of 



MACHA MISSION 261 

this district, Mapanza by name. 'There were thirty- 
five huts in the village. In the center of this was a 
large cattle pen, and around it and the outside of 
the palisade the huts were built in a circle, all open- 
ing toward the center. As w r e entered this enclosure 
we were greeted with clapping of hands on all sides. 
This is the native way of saluting their king and 
government officials and sometimes other wdiite 
people. In this instance the uniformed government 
messenger accompanied us, and no doubt gave 
prestige to our visit. The people of the village re- 
ceived us in a friendly manner, but since their lan- 
guage .was unintelligible to us we soon returned to 
the wagon. 

The time of the official's return was uncertain and 
we preferred not to locate in the immediate vicinity 
of the camp, so it w r as thought advisable to return a 
short distance and select a mission site. Some of 
the rivers through which we had safely come proved 
more difficult on the return journey. Gomo had 
been driving since we left Kalomo and did excel- 
lent work ; but he found the Myeki River here at 
the camp very difficult to cross. There are long, 
steep hills on either side of the river, and in addition 
to this the bed of the bridgeless stream is quite deep. 
Our oxen had done splendid work on the long jour- 
ney from Livingstone, but in recrossing this river 
they seemed unequal to the effort: After struggling 
awhile one finally lay down and refused to move. 
This was a new experience for us, but perhaps not 
for the boys. Gomo used every inducement to make 
it rise, but to no avail. To our amusement he finally, 
as a last resort, bit its tail. It was up in an instant 



262 AFRICA 

and the wagon moved on. We have since learned 
that oxen are often more stubborn than that one, 
especially new ones. They sometimes lie down and 
nothing will induce them to move. They will en- 
dure fire and even death itself. 

We drove back and carefully looked over the va- 
rious locations, and after asking the Lord for direc- 
tion, we finally decided upon our present site on the 
bank of the Macha River, or rather on the hill above 
it. The tent was removed from the wagon and 
placed on poles and prepared for occupancy. This 
place is about fourteen miles from the camp at 
Mapanza, and was reached August 17, a little over 
six weeks from the time we left Matopo Mission. 
We had traveled in all about 485 miles, about 170 of 
which was by ox-wagon. Our journal of the time 
records : 

" In all the Lord has wonderfully given us health 
and strength, and no harm of wild beasts or wilder 
men has befallen us. The journey had been far 
more successful in every way than we had antici- 
pated, and we praise the Lord that at last we are 
settled." 



CHAPTER THREE 
The Opening of the Work at Macha 

IN selecting a location for the mission, the desire 
was to secure a place sufficiently high so as to 
be at a distance from the low swamps, breeding 
malaria and other deadly diseases, and yet near 
enough to the river so as to have access to water. 
We desired also to have land in the vicinity suitable 
for agriculture and industrial purposes in general, 
and for the growing of fruit and vegetables. Then 
again, in addition to the above requirements, the 
object of our coming to the country was not to be 
lost sight of; i. e., the natives themselves. We de- 
sired to have easy access to them so that they might 
receive the Gospel. All of these requirements were 
prayerfully considered and we believe met in the 
location of Macha. As eight years have passed 
since then, our convictions have only been strength- 
ened that it was the Lord's choice for the work. 

As near as can be estimated the location is about 
16^2° south latitude and 27° east longitude, and is 
about 4,500 feet above sea level, so that, although it 
is within the tropics, the altitude causes the climate 
to be pleasant the greater portion of the year and 
as healthful a site as can be secured in that secction 
of the country. Along one side of the 3,000-acre 
mission farm is a small river, which gives name to 
the locality, and the tent was pitched over half a 
263 



264 AFRICA 

mile from this river. The place afforded excellent 
facilities for agriculture and fruit growing. Espe- 
cially can bananas and citrus trees be grown with- 
out irrigation. The country is rolling and there are 
numerous rich valleys capable of supporting many 
natives. There are wagon roads which have been 
made by traders who go through the country and 
buy grain of the natives in exchange for cloth, 
ornaments, blankets, and clothing. There were no 
surveyed farms in this vicinity, and the only farm- 
ers near lived over twenty miles from Macha, but 
numerous villages of natives are within walking 
distance and wagon road. 

At the opening of Macha Mission there was a 
station of Primitive Methodists northwest at a dis- 
tance of at least sixty miles, and the one of the Sev- 
enth Day Adventist Mission at about the same dis- 
tance northeast. With the exception of these two 
places one might go a hundred miles in any other 
direction and not find a mission station, so that we 
could certainly feel that we were not intruding into 
the territory of any other missionaries. The natives 
in this part of the country had heard absolutely 
nothing of Christ, and they knew not what mission- 
aries were or how they differed from other people. 

Our little tent, 6 x 13 feet, was sufficiently com- 
modious for eating and sleeping, but all the work 
had to be performed on the outside in the shade of 
a large tree, near which the tent had been placed. 
Beneath this tree also our supplies were piled off 
the ground and away from the destructive white 
ants, of which the ground was everywhere full. We 
had no cookstove then, and all our cooking was 



MACHA MISSION 265 

done over an open tire, while bread was baked in a 
large, flat-bottomed iron pot with long legs. This 
was placed over a bed of live coals, while coals were 
also placed on the iron cover. Some very good 
yeast bread came from that iron pot, novel perhaps 
to Americans, but familiar to Africanders. Many 
people traveling through the country made use of 
the ant hills as bake-ovens. 

The Christian boys who accompanied us, as well 
as some younger ones who came for work, camped 
at a short distance from the tent, and at night 
slept around the fire until huts could be built 
for them. Before the mission site had been 
agreed upon two young boys came and asked 
for work. We took them, and one of these 
has been one of our most faithful helpers. As 
grain was plentiful in the neighborhood there was 
no difficulty in securing food for the natives. Many 
of the older people, men and women, came to see 
and welcome us. Every effort was put forth toward 
erecting buildings before the rains came on, but as 
fires had swept over the country and destroyed most 
of the grass, it was evident that our chief difficulty 
would be in procuring thatching grass. This diffi- 
culty was obviated by a man at Mapanza, who was 
erecting a house for the commissioner, offering us 
for a small sum a lot of grass that he had on hand. 
Some time later our journal is as follows : 

These have been busy days; much work has been crowded 
into them. Building and making furniture have oc- 
cupied the attention of all of us, and everything has had 
to be done with native material and few tools, which have 
increased the amount of labor. The poles had to be hauled 



266 AFRICA 

five or six miles and some of the grass for thatching was 
brought fourteen miles. Ndhlalambi has been a faithful 
and excellent workman. He is not as quick as some, but 
few natives would have succeeded in making better build- 
ings, as he is careful and painstaking in all he does. 
Gomo is just the opposite; he is just as willing, but is no 
builder. He has, however, been very useful in hauling 
poles and grass, and mud for plastering, and he performed 
a splendid service in venturing among the Baila (a warlike 
tribe north of us) and purchasing for us two cows. Sister 
Engle and I have been bending all our energies toward 
helping with the building in the more technical parts, so 
that the work might be accomplished as soon as possible, 
and we have been spending some of our time in making 
furniture. There has been no difficulty in securing na- 
tives to work for us, and they have all worked faithfully 
under Ndhlalambi's supervision. 

There seems to be nothing to mar the work and loca- 
tion thus far, except the savage beasts, which prowl 
around at night, a terror to the domestic animals and to 
ourselves. When we pray, " Keep us from harm and 
danger," it is a more genuine prayer than formerly. Many 
nights the howls of the wolves and hyenas are to be 
heard, and one night some of the boys awoke to see in 
the firelight the eyes of a hyena glaring at them. Some 
of the natives built a high, strong pen for our cattle, and 
the first night they were enclosed in it a lion tried to force 
its way in. as indicated by the spoors the next morning. 
Leopards have also been seen. These evidences, as well 
as the stories told by others, convince us that there are 
wild beasts in the neighborhood, yet the Lord is able to 
keep and has thus far kept us from harm. 

The 91st Psalm was very precious in those days. 

These first buildings were constructed in a man- 
ner very similar to those at Matopo Mission, except 
that it was thought advisable to build the main part 
of the house all in one, so as to obviate the necessity 
of going outside in passing from one room to an- 



MACHA MISSION 267 

other — a very important consideration in such a 
wild country. The scarcity of grass limited the size 
of the house to a certain extent. It was 26 x 14 feet, 
with a veranda around three sides to protect from 
the sun and rain, and was divided into three small 
compartments opening into one another, the small 
doorways being closed by curtains. As there was no 
seasoned lumber to be had, there was only one 
outside door, and this was made from one of the 
boxes in which the goods had been packed. A 
table was manufactured from another box, and the 
bedsteads, as well as nearly all the rest of the fur- 
niture, were manufactured from native unseasoned 
timber and draped with calico. A muslin ceiling 
was a necessity to prevent the sawdust from falling 
from the rafters. 

On the inside of the house the walls were careful- 
ly plastered up against the thatched roof, and the 
openings for windows were closed by fine wire 
gauze netting to exclude mosquitoes. An important 
question was how to make a screen door for the 
only outside door of the building, as unseasoned 
timber would not answer the purpose. The pole 
of the wagon had been broken soon after our arrival 
at Macha, and one from the forest put in its place; 
and since this broken piece of timber was of hard- 
wood and sufficiently long for a door frame, we de- 
cided to make use of it for that purpose. It was 
sawed and with considerable labor made into a 
frame and proved quite satisfactory. Sister Engle, 
who was always patient and painstaking in her 
work and full of resources, deserves much credit for 
this and many other things with which the house 



268 AFRICA 

was equipped. That screen door is still doing excel- 
lent service after a lapse of eight years. After it 
was finished it was found that to fit it into the door 
frame so as to make it mosquito proof was no small 
task. The door frame had been manufactured from 
unseasoned native timber and was greatly warped. 
After much chiseling and shaping even this feat was 
accomplished, and the result was a mosquito-proof 
house, for that season at least. Mosquito nets for 
the beds had also been brought along. 

A small kitchen was also built and a hut for the 
native brethren before the rains came. The grass, 
stumps, and underbrush were cleared off all around 
the buildings and at some distance from them. This 
is customary in this part of the country, and it is 
done for the purpose of removing the hiding places 
of mosquitoes, snakes, and the like. Although more 
natives were employed the first few months at 
Macha than at Matopo, we experienced no difficulty 
in dealing with them ; perhaps because we were 
more familiar with their character, and our native 
Christians too were quite capable of understanding 
them. 

During the progress of the work, the advice of 
the Administrator had not been forgotten, as it was 
our earnest desire to do that which was best, and 
we looked to the Lord for guidance. It seemed ad- 
visable to remain. Contrary to his expectations, a 
mosquito-proof dwelling-house had been construct- 
ed, and the work which was started would certainly 
have suffered if we had gone away. The boys who 
had accompanied us were in every respect proving 
themselves capable and reliant; the natives were 



MACHA MISSION 269 

quiet and respectful; and not the least difficulty in 

the way of our return was the long, dangerous trip 
to Kalomo to reach the railroad. We had safely 
come that way once, yet we dreaded the long trip 
back, perhaps because we did not believe that it 
was the Lord's will for us to make it. The post was 
brought to our door by the government messenger 
as he passed on his way to Mapanza, and a trader 
near offered to bring out from Kalomo any needed 
supplies. 

All our needs thus far were abundantly supplied 
by a loving Father. All praise to Him Who " is able 
to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or 
think." Even in our most sanguine expectations 
before coming to the country we had not thought to 
be so well provided for. He in His infinite wisdom 
and forethought had gone before and prepared ev- 
ery step of the way ; He had opened every door and 
enabled the mission to be thus planted in raw heath- 
endom where Christ had not been named. The lo- 
cation proven by years of trial could not have been 
improved, for He makes no mistakes. The call and 
the desire for the extension of His Kingdom, which 
He had put into our hearts before ever Africa was 
reached, was thus being fulfilled. He had done and 
was doing His part; what more could we ask? Yea, 
we were weighted down and humbled by the mul- 
titude of favors which He was showering upon us. 
The only thing to mar our peace at this time was 
the consciousness that our friends and some of the 
government officials were uneasy on our account. 
We saw no cause for fear, and were conscious that 
the continued prayers ascending in behalf of our- 



270 AFRICA 

selves and the work were availing before God, and 
that we were at the place where He desired us to 
be. 

After the buildings were completed and the rains 
came the boys put forth every effort to dig some of 
the ground and plant grain and vegetables. This 
had to be done by hand, as the plow had not yet 
arrived. 

In the many duties incident to starting a new 
station, the spiritual part of the work was not neg- 
lected. A little visiting among the people was done 
both by Sister Engle and myself and by the native 
brethren. An attempt was also made each Sunday to 
instill into the minds of the people something of 
the sacredness of the day. Since a number of na- 
tives came daily to work at the mission, they were 
informed that we did not work on Sunday, but wor- 
shiped God instead. It was thus not difficult to 
assemble twenty-five or thirty on Sunday for serv- 
ices. These were always married people, with the 
exception of the few boys who were staying at the 
mission to work. The younger people, and especial- 
ly the girls and children, were conspicuous only by 
their absence. It was the same at the village; none 
except men and women were to be seen, so that at 
first we all concluded that there were no children in 
the neighborhood. Later it was learned that these 
and all the unmarried girls ran and hid when we 
approached a village. 

We could invite the people on Sunday, or we 
could go to see them in their homes, but to speak 
to them was a more difficult affair. There was the 
same difficulty in the language as at Matopo, but 



MACHA MISSION 271 

with a difference. There we had a translation of 
the Bible, dictionaries and grammars, and could at 
least read the Word to them. Here we were among 
the Batonga, and their language, although belong- 
ing to the same great Bantu family of languages, 
was quite distinct from that of Southern Rhodesia. 
There were no translations, no dictionaries, at the 
time the mission opened, so that the task of acquir- 
ing it was no small one. We soon realized that we 
had not sufficiently appreciated our blessings in 
Southern Rhodesia. Here it was necessary to have 
notebook and pencil continually on hand and write 
down the words as they fell from the lips of the 
natives ;. nor was it an easy task to decide upon the 
spelling of the words; especially was there diffi- 
culty in distinguishing the letters / and r. The 
same word as it fell from the lips of one native 
would seem to have an I, and as spoken by another 
it would be r. Of course there were many similar 
difficulties. 

One of our first aims was to secure the expression 
for " W T hat is that?" "Chi nzl echo?" and with 
that as a basis the names at least of many things 
could be learned. Then too it is not so difficult to 
learn to use expressions common in everyday duties 
and the material things about one ; but to secure a 
suitable vocabulary for instruction in the Gospel is 
generally a difficult task, and missionaries differ 
widely in reference to terms for spiritual things. 

The native vocabulary is by no means meager, 
and one is often surprised that people living such 
seemingly narrow lives as they do have in constant 
use such a copious vocabulary. Their thoughts as 



272 AFRICA 

a rule can be expressed in fewer words than in En- 
glish. For instance, they will say bona, to see ; 
bonwa, to be seen ; bzvene, to have seen ; bonana, to 
see each other ; boneka, to be visible ; bonela, to see 
for; and bonesha, to see clearly, and some verbs 
have additional forms. Again, in the use of verbs, 
such as go, they will have different words to express 
various phases of it: Ya, to go; benda, to go stoop- 
ing, as after game ; fwamba, to go quickly ; endcnda, 
to go for a walk; ambuka, to go aside, or astray; 
and so on for eighteen different words. 

The especial difficulty of the missionary is to 
secure the proper words to convey spiritual con- 
ceptions not generally met with in their comprehen- 
sion ; such as, faith, holy, save, cross, heaven, and 
even in the word for God there is often a difference 
of opinion among missionaries as to the word to be 
used. Among all tribes there seems to be a word 
for God, but the conception upon which it is based 
is so degrading that one often hesitates to make use 
of it in referring to the Holy and Omnipotent One 
Whom we have learned to revere. Two opinions 
are prevalent among missionaries in reference to 
some of the words. One is to make use of the words 
already found in a language and to seek to build up 
upon those w r ords a new conception altogether for- 
eign to the native line of thought. Others think 
that it is better to introduce a new word and attach 
the desired meaning to it. I think it is safe to say 
that the former is the method generally employed 
among translators, but whether it is in all instances 
the best method is open to question. 

Natives very quickly learn the language of other 



MACHA MISSION 273 

tribes, and so it was in this instance. Our native 
Christians soon acquired this language. A few of 
those working for us could after a manner speak- 
that " Esperanto of South Africa," " Kitchen Kafir," 
and this enabled them from the first to understand 
one another, in a slight degree at least, and gave 
them a common basis from which to pass to the 
Tonga language proper, spoken by the people about 
us. As Ndhlalambi, who took the name of David, 
had felt the call definitely to give the Gospel to these 
people,. and had had experience in evangelistic work, 
both at Mapani and at Matopo Mission, he was 
able in a comparatively short time to give the Gospel 
intelligently to the people, and also to assist us in 
acquiring the language. Of course this was by no 
means accomplished in a few months, or even in a 
year, for it was often difficult for even him to secure 
the proper words in spiritual language. These help- 
ers too had their difficulties in the work, and had 
their misunderstandings with the natives. One day 
one of them was quite discouraged in an attempt to 
make some natives understand properly, and he 
exclaimed, " I have a great deal more sympathy with 
the white man now in his endeavors to make the 
people understand, and to teach them how to work. 
These people seem so dull to me, and I know why 
our masters became so out of patience with us." 

There was at first no attempt at opening school ; 
but stencils and cardboard had been brought along, 
and with these charts were printed in the syllables 
and sentences of the language as nearly as we un- 
derstood it. Sister Engle made use of these charts 
in teaching, by the light of the campfire in the eve- 



274 AFRICA 

nings, the young boys who hac^ come to work for 
us. Our two native helpers also continued their 
studies and were instructed whenever there was 
time for it after the buildings were completed. 

As the first Christmas drew near, a query arose 
as to how it should be observed, and whether serv- 
ices should be held, since no one could yet speak 
very well the language. David and Gomo were 
eager for services, saying that they would put forth 
every effort to speak to the people about Christ. 
We longed to give the people something on that 
day as an expression of our good will, but could not 
see the way open to do so. At Matopo Mission 
salt was always given, but in this part of the coun- 
try salt was very expensive and there was only a 
little on hand, and we were not prepared to give 
them meat, as we had little opportunity of procur- 
ing game for ourselves. Services, however, were 
announced for the day, and early in the morning 
some natives began to arrive, curious to know what 
the day was like. 

In the morning Sister Engle and I were sitting 
at the table on the veranda, eating our breakfast, 
speaking of the plans for the day, and expressing 
a wish that there was some food to set before the 
people. While speaking, we heard a goat bleat, 
and presently two natives, one of whom was carry- 
ing a goat on his shoulders, came toward us. They 
put the goat down on the ground before us, saying 
as they did so, " The Chief, Macha, sent you this as 
a present." Here was the answer to our wish and 
unuttered prayer. Another native headman a short 
time previously had also presented a goat, and we 



MACHA MISSION 275 

had bought one, and these three would be suffi- 
cient for the dinner. Our praises ascended simul- 
taneously, and we realized that the promise was 
again verified, " Before they call, I will answer ; 
and while they are yet speaking I will hear." 

The native brethren entered heartily into the 
preparations, and with the assistance of the others, 
they soon had the animals killed and dressed, and 
in the cooking kettles. Fortunately there was corn- 
meal on hand which also furnished sufficient por- 
ridge. We rejoiced as we saw the people coming 
that there was food to set before them, even though 
the Gospel messenger could not be given satisfacto- 
rily; but there was still a greater and more blessed 
surprise in store. 

There were ninety-six grown people assembled, 
chiefly fathers and mothers, heads of families, and 
these were all seated along the veranda and in the 
shade of the tent. David took up the subject of 
Christmas and its origin by first reading it from the 
Zulu Testament, which, of course, they did not 
understand. Before he had read much the Lord 
sent a first-class interpreter, in the person of a 
Mutonga native who had worked for some time in 
Bulawayo, and there learned to read and speak the 
Zulu language and to understand the Gospel. He 
was not, however, a Christian, as we learned, but 
he proved a most ready and excellent interpreter 
for the day; and as the message was given in Zulu, 
he as readily interpreted it into the vernacular of 
the people. 

The Lord especially anointed our brother David 
for the message that day, and he most ably and feel- 



276 AFRICA 

ingly presented the wonderful story of the birth and 
life of our Savior and His great mission in the re- 
demption of the world. Perhaps the unique op- 
portunity had some effect upon my feelings, but it 
seemed to me that I never at any other time heard 
the subject so well handled before a congregation 
of natives as it was on that day. The native men, 
especially, listened most attentively throughout that 
long discourse. Tears came into my eyes as I 
looked upon those seamed faces before me, those 
middle-aged and elderly men who, for the first time 
in their lives, had an opportunity of hearing of Him 
Who had come to earth nineteen hundred years 
before to redeem them. How much of the makani 
mabotu (glad tidings) they grasped at the time it is 
difficult to ascertain. 

At the close of the discourse some of the rest of 
us spoke for a short time on the same theme, and 
also explained the cause of our being among them. 
Then after a hymn and prayer they were given their 
food. A bountiful dinner had also been prepared 
for ourselves, a portion of which we handed over to 
the two helpers who had so faithfully labored to 
make the day a success. It is needless to say that 
they too thoroughly enjoyed their dinner. In every 
way this first Christmas was one long to be remem- 
bered, with nothing to mar the perfect harmony of 
the occasion. 



CHAPTER FOUR 
School Work. Reinforcements 

UP to this time nothing had been said about 
school, except that a few boys had been 
taught in the evenings. There was no word 
for it in their language, and learning had no mean- 
ing or attraction for them. They only desired to 
work and earn money. 

The first herdboy came before the mission was 
located, and to him we gave the name " Jim," as 
we did not fancy his native name. He remained 
with us three months and then returned home and 
his cousin Tom came to herd. Both of these boys 
manifested a great interest in what they heard, and 
Tom was the first one to express a desire to be a 
Christian. Another little boy ran off from home 
one day and begged permission to remain at the 
mission. His mother immediately followed him and 
told him to go home. He refused, and sitting down 
by a tree he put his arms around it and clung to it ; 
but the mother tore the poor little fellow from the 
tree and dragged him away. Aside from these, very 
few children made their appearance during the first 
five or six months of the mission, and no girls came 
for a much longer period of time. The older people 
were friendly from the first, but we often felt that 
some of them inspired their children with a cer- 
tain amount of fear of the newcomers. 
277 



278 AFRICA 

January 1, 1907, the people were informed that we 
wished to open a school and that they should come 
to learn. By this we had in mind a day-school, 
where the pupils would come in the morning and 
return home at the close of the session. It had been 
impossible to build a schoolhouse, since nearly all 
the grass had been burnt off before our appearance 
on the scene. We, however, set up the little tent 
and built a straw shed at one end of it for a tem- 
porary schoolhouse. 

As school and its advantages had no meaning to 
the people, no one came. Then too it was the busi- 
est season of the year. One, two, three weeks 
passed, and still no one desired to learn. January 
passed and half of February; still no scholars. This 
was a new experience. At Matopo the children 
could scarcely wait until school opened, and they 
were the pioneers there and gradually drew the old- 
er people to take an interest. Here it was quite the 
reverse; the children were afraid of us, and would 
run away, screaming, to hide in the tall grass when 
we approached their villages. What was to be 
done? As usual we began to look to the Source 
that never fails. 

The middle of February it was thought advisable 
to have a week of prayer. All work was laid aside 
and the time was spent by the Christians in interced- 
ing at a Throne of Grace, for we felt that perhaps 
we had been too much occupied in temporal affairs. 
In the midst of this week of prayer, on February 
19, Macha, the chief, came, bringing his little boy, 
about twelve years of age, and said, " Here is my 
son. I should like to have him stay with the mis- 



MACHA MISSION 279 

sionaries and learn to read and to work." Here then 
was a direct answer to prayer. The chief of the 
district had set an example to his people by thus 
bringing his child. This was a signal for others, 
Apuleni, another boy of about the same age, came 
the next week, and Mafulo and Kajiga followed ; 
also others. Jim and Tom came to remain and 
attend school, and by the end of the year there were 
seventeen boys in all staying at the mission. 

These were nearly all boys from ten to sixteen 
years of age ; a few were older. None who applied 
were refused if they were willing to abide by the 
regulations ; and industrial work was at once in- 
augurated in connection with the school. They 
were to be taught in school three and one-half hours, 
and work early morning and afternoon, receiving, 
in addition to their food and instruction, some 
clothing, and blankets for the night. They were to 
remain at least a year before they could take the 
clothing home with them. This stipulation was 
made to teach them stability and prevent them from 
coming sufficiently long to secure clothing and then 
leaving before they had properly earned it. The 
arrangement proved very satisfactory. The few 
taxpayers who entered the industrial school were 
given a small sum of money, provided they com- 
pleted the time agreed upon. They always had 
Saturday afternoon as a half holiday, when they 
were to wash and mend their clothing and have the 
remainder of the time for recreation. 

It was always our aim to make them understand 
that they were expected to earn what they 
received by giving labor in return. We had no 



280 AFRICA 

sympathy with pupils who desired to learn and lie 
about and be idle the rest of the time. Several who 
desired to bring their food and remain at the mis- 
sion without working were not allowed to do so, as 
we thought it would prove detrimental, both to 
themselves and to the rest. We preferred a dozen 
industrious and stable boys to many times that 
number who were lazy and indifferent. It is true 
some of the smallest could scarcely be said to earn 
their way at first, but they were at least taught 
habits of industry. In their homes many of them 
spent their time in an indolent fashion, their mus- 
cles being flabby and unused to exercise ; and often, 
when they came to us*, they were too lazy even to 
play at recess. Gradually they brightened up and 
took hold of the tasks assigned them. One day one 
of the mothers came and inquired about her son, a 
boy about thirteen years of age, and she was told 
that he was digging in the garden. 

" Kanyama digging?" she asked, in great sur- 
prise. " Why, he does not know how to work." 

The first rainy season was quite pleasant, and it 
passed with very little sickness among our workers. 
It gave us an opportunity also of learning some- 
thing of the fertility of the soil on the mission farm. 
Much of the land, and especially that in the valleys, 
was unusually productive, and the grass grew to the 
height of ten feet. Our aim was to make use of the 
rainy season to instruct the boys in agriculture and 
horticulture and to raise sufficient grain and other 
food at least for their consumption; and more than 
that, if possible, so that the expense of keeping a 
number of boys would not rest so heavily on the 



MACHA MISSION 



281 



mission. This first season very little food was 
grown, because there had been no land ready for 
sowing, but the plow came in January, and Gomo 
was enabled to break two large gardens ready for 
sowing the following year. 

As soon as the rainy season was at an end, build- 
ing was again undertaken by David and Gomo, to- 
gether with the assistance of the native men and 
schoolboys. Thatch grass had to be cut and poles 




Macha Mission Huts, 1907. 



hauled and seasoned. The Matabele women were 
always eager to work for cloth, salt, or money, but 
the Batonga women were not. It was impossible 
to make satisfactory arrangements with them, either 
to cut grass or plaster, so that the men and boys 
were obliged to do this also in connection with the 
rest of the building, and they performed the work 
very satisfactorily. 

As there was only one small hut for the school- 
boys, the first building this second year was a hut, 



282 AFRICA 

13 x 16 feet, for their occupancy. Then a building 
answering for church and school purposes was 
erected. This was 16 x 30 fee;, with a large veranda 
in front, and was an excellent building of the kind. 
The seats were made of bricks, built up in rows and 
plastered over, and the floor was made of earth, 
pounded hard and plastered. Another building, 

14 x 20 feet, of poles and mud was also built, and 
was divided into two rooms. It had a veranda all 
around it. We were expecting missionaries out 
from America, and this last hut was for their accom- 
modation. These three buildings were all respect- 
able-looking ones and required a great deal of time 
and labor, so that David and Gomo were very busy 
and deserved much credit for their efficiency and 
perseverance. In addition to the outside work the 
schoolboys were instructed in sewing, and two of 
them in housework. 

The school at first was very poorly equipped, as 
we had nothing but the homemade charts and a 
few slates, and knew not where our books were to 
come from, since we did not know the language suf- 
ficiently to make any. Some of our needs in this re- 
spect were also supplied later. In the latter part of 
1907 Rev. E. W. Smith, a missionary at Nanzela, 
published an excellent " Handbook of the Ila Lan- 
guage." This was a grammar and dictionary com- 
bined, and the language was closely allied to that 
of the Tonga. We secured this book about a year 
after we had reached Macha and found it very help- 
ful in acquiring the language, since the grammar 
and many of the words of the two languages were 
similar. He also published in that language an ex- 



MACHA MISSION 283 

cellent first reader and a book of over one hundred 
pages of Bible stories. This latter book is a very 
faithful account of Genesis and Exodus, and con- 
tains some of the more interesting parts of later Old 
Testament history. Not long after, there was also 
published a book of questions containing the essen- 
tials of Christian belief, and also many quotations 
from the Scriptures. With the exception of the 
mode of baptism this was so essentially like our own 
faith that it could be used to excellent advantage in 
Inquirers' Classes. 

All of these books proved of inestimable value to 
us in school and church work. The pupils in the 
school proved bright and studious, and before the 
end of this year some had started in the service of 
the Lord. 

It was almost impossible for us to spend much 
time out among the natives during the rainy season, 
since the rivers were often swollen and difficult to 
cross, and the grass was high, rendering walking 
difficult and even dangerous on account of savage 
beasts lurking about. It is true we seldom saw 
any of these animals, but that they were in the 
vicinity we had no reason to doubt. Once when 
David was on top of the church, putting on the 
rafters, a native from a neighboring kraal called to 
say that three leopards were after his sheep. Our 
boys all ran to hunt with spears and clubs, and some 
of them had a glimpse of the animals as they dis- 
appeared in the tall grass. Another morning some 
of the men on coming to work reported that they 
saw four lions crossing one of our plowed fields. 
Occasionally we would hear a lion roaring on the 



284 AFRICA 

opposite side of the river, so that there was no 
reason to doubt the presence of danger. 

Northwestern Rhodesia, where we found our- 
selves, is essentially the home of wild and savage 
beasts and game of all kinds. In addition to smaller 
animals there are the duiker, reedbuck, hartebeest, 
sable antelope, eland, kudu, and many other vari- 
eties of game. The forests are full of apes and 
baboons, and the gnu, the zebra, and the buffalo are 
to be found. The mammoth elephant roams at will 
in herds or singly, the rivers are full of crocodiles, 
and the larger ones abound in the ungainly hippo- 
potamuses. It is the paradise of hunters, and many 
avail themselves of the opportunity for sport thus 
afforded ; others for the gain to be had from ivory 
and hides. 

The fact that there was not only game, but that 
there were also dangerous animals lurking about, 
may have been the chief reason why we never suc- 
ceeded in starting a day-school at Macha. It was 
scarcely safe for children to go alone back and 
forth to school. Even men seldom traveled far 
alone, and they always went armed. A native 
would carry three or four assegais, and many were 
supplied with guns. It is surprising how much 
game they managed to kill with those old blunder- 
busses. 

As stated previously, the presence of animals had 
much to do with the amount of kraal visiting car- 
ried on. Sister Engle and I went, however, quite 
frequently after the grass was burnt off in June, 
accompanied by some of the schoolboys. As we 
neared a village, our approach was always heralded 



MACHA MISSION 285 

by the barking of dogs and the screaming of chil- 
dren as they ran away to be out of reach of the 
mukua (white person). Every village is supplied 
with its quota of dogs. One day I counted twenty- 
four in one small village. Nor is their presence 
unnecessary in this animal-ridden country, as they 
often succeed in driving off ferocious animals from 
the herds, and they help supply their master with 
game. They are, however, generally so lean and 
starved looking that one would like to see a " So- 
ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals " 
among the natives. 

It was a long time before we could get a sight of 
the girls in the kraals around us. Once, in company 
with Apuleni, we went to his home, and here as 
everywhere we were warmly welcomed by the older 
people and given an opportunity of telling them of 
the Savior, as well as our limited vocabulary would 
allow. While we were sitting there talking to some 
of the older people, Sister Engle said she thought 
there were some girls in a hut near by. I arose to 
investigate. The older people saw the move and 
laughingly told the girls of my approach ; but it was 
too late for them to escape. As I reached the door 
I saw five girls in the hut, some of whom were 
nearly grown. Some began to scream and hide their 
faces, and others sat trembling, not daring to look 
up. They appeared as if they were afraid of being- 
torn from their home by violence. Two of these 
were sisters of the boy who accompanied us. It 
required much tact and patience to finally gain the 
confidence of these wild children surrounding us, 



286 AFRICA 

and to help them realize that we would do them no 
harm, but we at last won the day. 

During this dry season of 1907 word was also re- 
ceived of a threatened native uprising. Our first 
information of this condition of affairs was received 
from some officers who had come from the Trans- 
vaal and were passing through on their way north 
on a hunting expedition. They said that they did 
not know how serious the difficulty was, except that 
some of the Europeans northeast had been ordered 
into the government camp. The natives around us 
were quiet and law-abiding and gave no indication 
that they were dissatisfied. They themselves were 
not of a warlike nature, and they had in the past 
been harrowed and many of them ruthlessly killed 
by the Matabele, the Barotse, and the Baila, each in 
their turn, and they were now enjoying peace and 
quiet under the beneficent rule of the English. They 
knew that they would gain nothing by rebelling 
against the English, and the only condition that 
would cause them to rise would be fear of their 
powerful neighbors. For this reason we could see 
no cause for fear. They were, however, not igno- 
rant of the trouble in the country, and confided to 
David that Lewanika wanted to fight. The power- 
ful tribe north of us, the Baila, were probably as 
dissatisfied as any. David at first did not tell us 
what he had heard, for fear of alarming us, and we 
too said nothing to him at once. Later, however, 
he told us and we gave him our information. The 
danger at that time seemed past, and we would 
have allowed the affair to rest ; but it was learned 
that our fellow missionaries were uneasy on our 



MACHA MISSION 287 

account. So we wrote to an official at Kalomo to 
inquire if they anticipated a native uprising. He 
wrote, assuring us that whatever danger there 
might have been, there was no more serious cause 
for alarm. 

In September of this year a young man from 
Cape Town came to assist in the work. He was a 
nephew of our friend and benefactress, Mrs. Lewis, 
and had been impressed with the importance of 



Macha Boys and Schoolhouse. 

pressing on the work into the interior ; hence his 
presence at Macha. He suffered so much with fe- 
ver, however, that he concluded it was best to return 
south after a stay of only a few weeks at the mis- 
sion. 

On November 10 our long-looked-for colaborer, 
Mr. Myron Taylor, reached Macha. This was a 
welcome and much-needed addition to our number. 
The new building was ready for occupancy, and 
Brother Taylor entered enthusiastically into the 
work before him. He came just at the opening of 



288 AFRICA 

the rainy season, and perhaps entered on the work 
with too much vigor ; for in the latter part of De- 
cember he was laid low with the dread African 
fever, and for a time his life was despaired of ; but 
the Lord raised him up. During that, his first rainy 
season, he had frequent relapses of the fever and 
saw very few well days until the season was at an 
end. He was not, however, discouraged, but con- 
tinued at the work whenever his health permitted. 

The boys who came to attend school remained, 
and others also applied for admission, so that by the 
end of this second year there were thirty-two stay- 
ing with us, and they were becoming quite useful 
in the work, and best of all were going on to know 
the Lord, and were formed into an Inquirers' Class. 

This second rainy season was in some respects a 
repetition of the first, except that there was more 
land under cultivation, and we ourselves were bet- 
ter supplied with fresh vegetables and more nourish- 
ing food, and Brother Taylor with his rifle could 
furnish us with game. We were at this time be- 
coming more familiar with the pests with which 
we had to contend in this tropical Africa. We 
thought we had learned something of the ravages of 
the white ants, or termites, while at Matopo, but the 
experience there was nothing compared to that at 
Macha. This is not in any sense intended as a 
scientific treatise ; yet even from a missionary point 
of view one needs to know something of the diffi- 
culties in the way. One cannot be long in America 
without realizing that the ordinary reader is woe- 
fully ignorant of some of the most common experi- 
ences of the Africander, and in nothing is this more 



MACHA MISSION 289 

noticeable than in the ravages produced by the 
white ants. The species to be found in Africa is 
unlike that found elsewhere and is much more de- 
structive. A knowledge of the presence of these 
pests also seems to help solve some of the charac- 
teristics of the natives in this section of the country. 

These white ants are of various kinds and sizes, 
but they are similar, in that they build great nests 
of clay which extend above the ground from one 
or two to twenty or more feet. These nests are 
known as ant hills, and in this part of the country 
some of them are not unlike hillocks. They are all 
honeycombed within and down deep into the earth, 
and are the homes of the various members of the 
community, consisting of the large, bulky, wormlike 
white queen, an inch or two in length, the savage, 
warlike soldiers, and the small, inoffensive-looking 
workers. There are also winged ones which leave 
the earth in great numbers at the opening of the 
season after the ground has been softened by the 
rain. These soon lose their wings and again enter 
the ground at various places to form new colonies. 

The white ants can work only under cover, and 
exposure to light and the sun is generally fatal to 
them, so they build small clay tunnels underneath 
the ground or on top where they desire to work, and 
through these they pass to and fro, carrying par- 
ticles of food to store it away. They prefer dry 
food, such as wood, leather, paper, clothing, straw, 
and vegetation as it is becoming dry, although if 
these articles are not to be had they have no ob- 
jections to attacking growing trees or plants. Many 
trees in our young orchard have been destroyed. by 



290 AFRICA 

their ravages. These ants are to be found all over 
South Africa, but as one approaches the equator 
they are more numerous and destructive and the 
hills are larger. 

At Macha, boxes, shoes, clothing, everything had 
to be kept off the ground floor. If this precaution 
was not observed, perhaps in a single night a clay 
coating would be formed around the sole of a shoe 
and it would be greatly damaged. Sometimes they 
would find their way up the leg of a box and begin 
destroying the clothing or articles within. As I 
came out of my room one morning, the noise of the 
sentinels of the ants gave signal to the workers of 
the approach of danger. This led to an examina- 
tion of some bookshelves which were supposed to 
be safe out of the reach of the pests. Wet clay was 
found to be all along the end of the bookcase, and 
the end books on each shelf were partly eaten, 
all the work of one night. Our bedposts had to 
be put on zinc or into old tin cans to keep the 
ants from making their way to the top and soiling 
the bedclothes. Several times they started to build 
an ant hill on the floor of the hut, and one morning 
a small hill of wet clay nearly a foot in height was 
to be seen, the result of one night's labors. 

. Nor did they confine their ravages to the floor 
and the articles placed on the floor; walls and 
grass roof were full of them. No article could be 
hung on the wall with safety. There was a ceiling 
of muslin in the house, yet one day Sister Engle, 
on going into her room, found an army of white 
ants marching around on the counterpane of her 
bed, having fallen from a broken clay tunnel in the 



MACHA MISSION 291 

roof. In addition to these pests, we were greatly 
annoyed by insects boring into the soft wood which 
formed the rafters. During this season the sound 
made in the quiet hours of the night by these insects 
sawing caused one to think the entire hut was 
alive. The ants would carry their clay tunnels into 
the opening made by the borers and complete the 
work of destruction. For a time the ceiling became 
so heavy with falling sawdust and clay, that it was 




The Last Invitation. 

necessary to open it about every two weeks and 
remove the dust, which almost filled a small tub 
each time. Many more incidents might be cited. 
We were forced to admit that, at least during the 
rainy season, a large portion of our time was oc- 
cupied in protecting our huts and goods from the 
ravages of the ants. 

Their work did not stop with the house. We 
would think that the grain and meal were placed 
high and secure out of their reach, only to find that 



292 AFRICA 

they had formed a channel and destroyed a lot of 
grain. At first when some boys came for school 
there was no suitable place prepared for their ac- 
commodation, and they were obliged to lie on the 
floor. They would occasionally come and show 
where the cuticle had been removed from some 
portion of the body during the night. In the garden 
there Avas also difficulty in protecting the growing 
crops. The cornstalk would be eaten off and fall 
to the ground, where the ants would complete the 
work of destruction ; so that from the time corn 
began to be filled until it was ripe, it was generally 
necessary to keep several boys most of the time 
gathering the fallen corn. Continual vigilance was 
needful, or in an unguarded moment something 
about the place would be destroyed. 

The varieties of ants in the country are many 
and diverse, but we will mention only one other 
kind, to which we were introduced during the early 
days of the mission. One night some of the boys 
said they could not sleep on account of ants coming 
into their hut. We supposed they referred to large 
black ants, which often came in armies and made a 
raid on white ants to carry them off for food. These 
black ones are very troublesome when disturbed, 
and the boys were told to occupy another hut for 
the remainder of the night. Again the boys spoke 
of being disturbed and showed some small, reddish 
ants with vicious-looking heads, which were march- 
ing in a straight line through the yard. But these 
looked innocent and little attention was paid to 
the matter. Then one morning a hen and two 
young guinea fowls, confined in a pen, were found 



MACHA MISSION 293 

to be dead and covered with these insects. We con- 
cluded that they had died and the ants were eating 
the carcass, but the boys assured us that the ants 
had killed them. The pen was immediately burnt, 
together with as many of the ants as possible. An- 
other night the sheep began to bleat most piteously. 
The lantern was lighted and the boys called to see 
what was the difficulty, and while waiting for the 
boys I approached the pen. Almost instantly 
needles seemed to penetrate my body in various 
places. I gave the lantern to the boys to let out the 
sheep, while Sister Engle and I hastened to the 
house, where she helped to remove the vicious little 
insects. After that experience there was no further 
question in my mind as to whether those ants could 
kill fowds or other animals. 

These are called the army ants. Once it required 
two days for an army of them continually on the 
march to pass through our yard. Fortunately we 
have not been troubled much with this variety since 
that time, but in some parts of Africa they are very 
numerous. Human bodies are sometimes thrown 
to them, and even live ones, as a punishment in 
supposed witchcraft. 

We had been in correspondence with some of the 
Primitive Methodist missionaries at Nanzela, from 
whom we had purchased books for the school and 
ourselves ; and we were eager to visit them and learn 
something of their work. About the 1st of May we 
arranged to make the journey of sixty miles and 
pay them a visit. Brother Taylor was here to take 
charge of the journey, so we took the wagon with 
the ten oxen and a number of schoolboys, as well as 



294 AFRICA 

David, leaving Gomo in charge of the mission dur- 
ing our absence. This was a new and untried road 
in a northwesternly direction, and required four 
day of hard traveling to make it. On the way we 
occasionally had an opportunity of preaching Christ 
to the natives. 

The kindly welcome received from Rev. and Mrs. 
Price, who were then at Nanzela, more than repaid 
us for the tediousness of the journey. We spent a 
most delightful four days at their mission and 
learned to know something of our neighbors and 
of the work being accomplished at this oldest sta- 
tion in this part of the country. They were work- 
ing among the Baila, and also some Barotse who 
were living in that section of the country. The 
trip, however, proved a most unfortunate one for 
us, as we were informed that we had passed through 
a small district of the tsetse fly on the way. The 
result of this will be given in another chapter. 

On account of the presence of these pests, as well 
as for other reasons, a very common method of 
travel and transportation in this part of the coun- 
try is by native carriers. A native will carry fifty 
pounds of goods, so that it requires forty persons to 
transport a ton of goods. This means is employed 
by officials, and it is somewhat more expeditious 
than by wagon. It is often not very satisfactory, 
however, and it is difficult to secure natives who 
are willing to carry, unless they are almost forced 
into service. The wages too, eight cents a day, is 
small, but where the tsetse fly abounds this is the 
only safe method of transportation. 



CHAPTER FIVE 

Additional Reinforcements. Preparing to 
Build 

IN June, 1908, we were pleased to receive ad- 
ditional reinforcements in the persons of Mr. 
and Mrs. Jesse Wenger, who had lately arrived 
from America and felt called to the work at Macha. 
Accompanying them were Elder and Mrs. Steiger- 
wald, who came to pay us a visit and to see about 
the work. 

There was now a strong force of missionaries at 
the place, and it was thought that better and more 
permanent buildings should be erected. The mis- 
sion had been in progress nearly two years, and 
David and Gomo had been active both dry seasons 
in erecting buildings — and they were good build- 
ings of their kind. From what has already been 
given, however, of the ravages of the white ants, it 
can easily be seen that such buildings were very 
unsatisfactory and of short duration. To make 
others of the same kind would require the mis- 
sionaries to be continually building. 

My opinion in reference to missionaries' houses 
and surroundings had gradually and materially 
undergone a change since I first entered the 
mission field. My firm conviction on entering had 
been that missionaries should be as approachable 
as possible, and that they should endeavor to 
295 



296 AFRICA 

get on a level with their people ; not in their 
dirt and filth, not in their ignorance and degra- 
dation, but, leaving out these essentially objec- 
tionable features, they should seek to imitate as 
much as possible Him Who had no certain dwell- 
ing-place and went about doing good. He became 
one with the people wherever He went, " Made 
Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the 
form of a servant." He of course is the Great 
Exemplar, after Whom the missionaries, His mes- 
sengers, are to pattern. The true missionary should 
and does esteem it a privilege to endure any neces- 
sary privation and hardship in the cause of the 
Master Whom he loves and seeks to imitate. Oth- 
erwise it would be impossible to carry the Gospel 
to the heathen. But our God is a wise God, and 
has promised wisdom to His children and to His 
messengers, which He expects them to use on the 
mission field as well as elsewhere; so that they may 
adapt themselves to their surroundings and do that 
which will best advance His Kingdom. 

The missionary goes to his field of labor. He 
builds himself huts of poles, mud, and grass. He 
does this carefully, that he may protect himself from 
the weather, the wild animals, and from the mos- 
quitoes which bring fever. He provides his hut 
with furniture, manufactured by his own hand, so 
that it looks quite cozy and comfortable, and the 
poor natives as they look inside may conclude that 
if heaven is no better than this, it is at least worth 
striving for. The missionary himself for the time 
feels quite satisfied and happy in his surroundings 



MACHA MISSION 297 

and concludes that the place is good enough for 
anyone. 

He opens his door and invites his dear dark 
friends to enter and sit and talk with him — a priv- 
ilege which they greatly appreciate and the mission- 
ary also enjoys. Are not these the people for whom 
Christ died? Are not these the poor people to 
whom he is bringing the privileges of the Gospel? 
He loves to embrace every opportunity of getting 
into their hearts, and he feels keenly everything 
which separates and tends to form a barrier be- 
tween them. 

Time passes, and the rainy season comes. Per- 
haps the huts become damp and even mouldy in 
places, and gradually, as the ants continue their 
ravages, the walls crack and other difficulties arise. 
He is forced to be continually on his guard to pro- 
tect himself. Mosquitoes enter, and he is incapaci- 
tated for work, by fever and other sickness. His 
health becomes undermined and his appetite gives 
way. The coarse food of the natives, if he has been 
using it, becomes distasteful and hurtful. Perhaps, 
if there is no way out of the difficulty, his life pays 
the penalty and his work on earth for God and the 
natives is stopped. This is no fancy picture. It 
has been repeated over and over again in this 
great " White Man's Graveyard." 

Suppose, however, that by taking plenty of qui- 
nine and having considerable vitality to start with, 
he survives and continues successfully to combat 
disease ; he soon finds that he must build a separate 
hut in which to meet the natives, or his house will 
be overrun with vermin and he cannot live in it. 



298 AFRICA 

His hut, too, soon becomes a hiding place for snakes, 
rats, and lizards. He may pick up a piece of fur- 
niture and find a cobra lying beneath it, or go into 
the little kitchen and find a deadly puff adder be- 
neath the cooking kettle. Even if he has in building 
kept as near to the natives as possible, they are in 
no haste to get rid of their filth and improve their 
manner of living. They have not yet seen the ad- 
vantages of exerting themselves to that extent, 
unless they are members of the mission family and 
compelled to wash. Even then they may have 
conscientious scruples in reference to the matter, 
as one of our best boys at Matopo did. He was 
frequently remonstrated with for not keeping his 
clothing clean. He said that clean clothing made 
him feel proud. 

Again, the missionary soon sees that his hut is 
going to pieces, and he must go over the laborious 
task every two or three years of building another, 
and at the same time constantly fight the ants, 
so that his life is one of long struggle with disease, 
pests, and building. When and how is he to give 
the Gospel? He concludes that he must make 
brick, build a house, and put on an iron roof, that it 
may be better protected from the mosquitoes and 
furnish good rain water. He makes a tank, so 
that he may have good drinking water instead of 
the muddy, disease-laden stuff which comes from 
the river. It will make more work for a time, but 
when completed he sees some result of his labor. 

These reasons, any or all of them, are sufficient in 
the eyes of the missionary for building a good, 
substantial house, but there are other reasons, quite 



MACHA MISSION 299 

as patent to him, but they may not be to one who 
has never been in his place. The natives like to 
see their missionary build good dwellings, for then 
they think he has come to stay, and because he has 
come to stay and is willing to work and to train the 
natives, he sometimes has a better house than some 
of his white neighbors. And we are loath to think, 
as some affirm, that it is a reproach to be better 
housed, if he himself builds it. 

There is another and more subtle reason for a 
good house, and one which the writer could not en- 
ter into until the last few years. If one has access 
to a town he has an opportunity to see other 
civilized places and has a change of scenery and 
companionship, which is both interesting and bene- 
ficial. Especially is this so to one who is continual- 
ly surrounded with uncouth barbarism in its many 
forms. When, however, one is far removed from 
all civilized associations and sees nothing that is 
beautiful and uplifting, week after week, month 
after month, year after year; when all this time 
only dirt' and squalor meet the eye as he steps off 
his own premises, his range of vision becomes so 
narrowed, his brain so benumbed by the monotony, 
that he feels he can endure it no longer. He is not 
tired of his services for the Master; he is not tired 
of the dark faces surrounding him ; but his spiritual 
vision has become so befogged that, as he rises before 
the people to give them the message, he feels that 
he cannot give what he longs to. He cannot even 
take hold of God by faith in prayer as he did, and 
he must get away for a change. 

But what has this to do with a good house? 



300 AFRICA 

Just this : If one has a good home and pleasant 
surroundings, good and helpful literature and a few 
of the things which minister to the aesthetic as well 
as to the spiritual part of his nature, he has a 
change, at least, in his own home, and when he can 
snatch time, from the many duties which continually 
confront him, for a little quiet, the surroundings are 
pleasing and restful. He is then just that much 
better fitted to cope with the opposite conditions, 
and he can cope with them for a longer time and 
do better work for the Master. On the other hand, 
missionaries are human and make many mistakes, 
and we in the mission field need also to guard 
against the other extreme of spending too much 
time in beautifying our surroundings and making 
ourselves comfortable, to the neglect of that God- 
given message. 

Even under the best of surroundings, physically, 
the missionary has enough to contend with. Cir- 
cumstances over which he has no control, diffi- 
culties which far outweigh any already mentioned, 
meet him on every hand. As Rev. Stewart, of 
China, says, " 'Agonia,' that word so often on St. 
Paul's lips — what did it mean? Did it not just 
mean the thousand wearinesses, and deeper, the 
stirrings, the travailings, the bitter disappointments, 
the deaths oft of a missionary's life?" 

The natives often are so indifferent, so disin- 
clined to exert themselves,, that, after months and 
years of weary, persistent labor among them, the 
missionary often feels that little is accomplished. 
He dare build hopes on none but God, and must 
accept seeming success or defeat as alike from Him. 



MACHA MISSION 301 

This continual drain on his system is quite suffi- 
cient, without having to combat with poor dwell- 
ings, poor food, and unhealthful surroundings. 

After the Brethren came, they concluded to start 
at once to make the preparations for building. 
Elder Steigerwald had had experience in this line 
of work, so he generously offered- to start the rest 
in brickmaking. After a few weeks' visit he and 
Sister Steigerwald returned home and Sister Engle 
decided to accompany them for a change. David 
and Gomo also had been absent from their people 
for two years and wished to return, the former for 
a visit and the latter, perhaps permanently. We 
were very sorry to see all these leave at once, even 
for a few months, and especially David, whose as- 
sistance in the language and in interpretation was 
greatly needed. 

The Brethren Taylor and Wenger, with the as- 
sistance of the schoolboys and some other natives, 
moulded and burnt a large kiln of brick. Brother 
Taylor attended to the moulding and Brother 
Wenger to building the kiln. This gave the boys 
training in another line of industrial work, and at 
the end of about six weeks a lot of excellent brick 
were ready for building. Unfortunately there was 
no money on hand to build a house, for the Board 
had not been informed of our needs in this respect, 
since brickmaking had been undertaken rather sud- 
denly. It was therefore necessary to postpone 
building a house until the next dry season. Brother 
Wenger, however, erected two small brick buildings, 
with thatched roofs. One was for grinding and stor- 
ing grain, and the other a two-roomed cottage. In 



302 



AFRICA 




Making Brick at Macha. 



tl| : fjfj; J f | 



Brick Kiln. Mr. Jesse Wenger and Helpers, 



MACHA MISSION 303 

the latter a room was fitted up for the occupancy of 
himself and wife, so that we were prepared for an- 
other rainy season. 

One thing which was a serious handicap in the 
building and work that season was the condition of 
the oxen. After our return from Nanzela, in May, 
the oxen gave no indication of being bitten by the 
tsetse fly. Nearly a month later they were driven 
to Kalomo, a distance of about forty-five miles, and 
brought out a heavy load of goods on the arrival of 
our colaborers. They were also made use of in 
hauling sand for brickmaking; and in July, when 
Brother Steigerwalds returned home, they were 
again driven to the station. This time they made 
use of a new road and went east to Choma Station, 
a distance of only about thirty-six miles. By this 
time the oxen were showing signs of being bitten, 
and as there was no cure for them, they gradually 
became weaker and died, one by one, until we had 
lost nine, the last ones not dying until about six 
months after they were bitten. The fly injects a 
parasite into the blood, which gradually absorbs the 
red corpuscles, hence the lingering death. 

It was a serious loss to the mission at the time, as 
they had been in use almost constantly in farming, 
hauling, and bringing out supplies. In the Syracuse 
plow it was necessary to use all ten of the oxen in 
this heavy clay soil, and also in hauling the wagon. 

We still had a few, but there was not 
sufficient money on hand to purchase others at 
once. With eight ill-matched oxen, Brother Taylor 
undertook to go to Choma in November for the 
purpose of bringing out a six months' supply of 



304 AFRICA 

goods and provisions, which had been sent up from 
Bulawayo. He took along five of the largest school- 
boys to assist in carrying the goods across the 
bridgeless rivers. To add to the difficulty of the 
trip, grass was scarce at that season of the year, 
so that there was little food for the oxen. A little 
rain also fell while he was away and made the road 
muddy. 

On returning with the load he was able to get 
within twelve miles of home when the oxen could 
go no farther. He sent four of the boys each with a 
load of goods to the mission, and a call for help. 
Several native men and about twenty schoolboys 
were sent to his assistance, and after they reached 
the wagon, Brother Taylor concluded to endeavor 
to come a little nearer home before resting for the 
night. Each of the natives carried a load, and he 
himself carried one hundred pounds of flour and 
drove the oxen. They came about two and one-half 
miles farther and then camped for the night. A 
fire was kindled, but as the night was dark and 
misty the fire burned low. The boys lay around 
this and Brother Taylor on the open wagon. He 
was aroused several times during the night by a 
disturbance among the oxen. Thinking it was 
caused by one of the new oxen which had given him 
some trouble, he arose at three different times dur- 
ing the latter part of the night to quiet them, but 
the darkness was too great for him to see what was 
the "trouble. The last time it was dawning a little 
in the east, and he thought he discerned the form 
of an animal moving toward an ant hill in the 
vicinity. The boys were aroused and soon had a 



MACHA MISSION 305 

fire; and as the morning came they discovered by 
the spoors that two lions had passed along within 
a few feet of where the boys lay and had gored one 
of the oxen during the night. These were what 
Brother Taylor had been trying to chase. The 
reader can imagine the thankfulness of all of them, 
as well as of ourselves, when it was discovered how 
wonderfully the Lord had preserved them all from 
harm. We rejoiced when the goods as well as 
Brother Taylor and the boys were all safely at 
home, but the heavy wagon had to remain for a 
time on the veldt before it could be brought to the 
mission. 

When the news of the misfortune to the oxen 
reached America the Lord inspired some of His 
children to send special donations for the purchase 
of others, and even before an account of the trouble 
had reached there some had heard of the need by 
way of the Throne and had sent money, 



CHAPTER SIX 
Evangelistic and Other Labors 

DURING this dry season the spiritual part of 
the work, together with school and kraal- 
visiting, was not neglected, even though 
most of those who could speak the language were 
away. 

There were thirty-two boys in school, and they 
were doing good work. A translation of the Gospel 
of St. Mark had been printed by Rev. Smith, and 
an Ila hymn book by Rev. Chapman, of the same 
mission, and these were both very useful in our 
work. After our boys had finished the Ila books, 
we concluded to allow them to continue the Scrip- 
tures in the Zulu Testament, as it is always easier 
for the natives to pass from one native language 
into another than from English into their language. 
We found later that this use of the Zulu Testament 
proved very satisfactory, both to ourselves and the 
boys. Since we were familiar with that language,* 
and they readily acquired it, their knowledge was 
of great assistance to us in translating portions of 
the Scripture into their tongue, and they were soon 
capable of interpreting for Elder Steigerwald and 
others who came to us from Southern Rhodesia. 
Here, as at Matopo, every day and all the day were 
the Scriptures studied and Christ held up, and 
morning, noon, and night we met in worship and 
306 



MACHA MISSION 



307 



explanation of the Bible. The great aim, both in 
school and out, was to produce sincere and ripe 
Christians, who should become teachers and evan- 
gelists of their people. 

Other studies were gradually introduced. Arith- 
metic seems to be always a difficult study for most 
of them, but some of them compared very favorably 
in that branch with others whom we had instructed. 




They had their own peculiar way at first of an- 
nouncing whether their problems were correct or 
not. If they were correct the pupils would answer 
" Wa pona" (it is alive), and if incorrect they 
would say " Wa fwa" (it is dead). Although they 
sat side by side in the school-room and could easily 
look on the slates of their neighbors, they were 
generally very honest and independent in their work 
and did not attempt to copy. 



308 AFRICA 

English also was introduced after they could 
read understanding^ their own language. The 
opportunity of learning English is a privilege which 
all natives covet, as it seems to be more important 
in their eyes and more European. In some respects 
this importance is one of the objectionable features 
about teaching it. Then too the native often is dull 
in learning it, but we need interpreters, and the 
value intellectually of this and arithmetic and kin- 
dred studies is not to be despised. English often 
aids the native in securing better positions with 
better pay when he goes to work among the Euro- 
peans; for go, at least for a while, he will. Some 
Europeans prefer natives who can speak and under- 
stand a little English. On the other hand, some 
white men, who have themselves a little knowledge 
of the native tongue, prefer, for their own purpose, 
that natives do not understand English. They 
want the native to understand only enough to go 
at their bidding and "keep his place," which is 
somewhat similar in their eyes with the lower order 
of animals. This class is forever a foe to the mis- 
sionary and to the education and christianization of 
the natives. If one who has to some extent been 
educated, goes out into the centers of civilization 
and there, swallowed in the maelstrom of vice 
which surrounds him, imitates his new white teach- 
ers, they will point to him and say, " Yes, there is 
one of your mission boys. That is what missionary 
work does." Many a well-meaning native, who 
was making a fair progress toward Christian life, 
can trace his downfall to such teachers. If that 
class of Europeans would remain at the centers of 



MACHA MISSION 309 

civilization, it would still be more tolerable for the 
missionary, but often the towns are too moral for 
them, and they seek to go into the region of raw 
natives. As one glibly remarked, " When it be- 
comes too civilized for me here, I'll go farther in- 
land." 

Mr. Naylor, who has had an opportunity of 
studying at first hand the work all over Africa, 
says, " In Africa conscienceless trade, social vice, 
race hatred, and religious intolerance have freer 
scope because so far removed from the restraining 
influence of Christian public sentiment." 

This seeming digression from the subject can be 
excused only on the ground that it is one of the 
most difficult and perplexing problems the mission- 
ary has to face, and every one coming into the 
country in such a capacity is certain to meet it in 
one form or another. We are pleased to add, how- 
ever, that the missionary also finds Europeans who 
are generous and helpful and favorable to the work ; 
and the number of this class is increasing, as the 
aim of the missionary and the results of his efforts 
are more clearly understood. 

The attendance at church services was constant- 
ly increasing, and those present on Sunday some- 
times reached 140 in number. Kraal-visiting also 
was carried on as opportunity afforded. Before 
Sister Engle left we had made a visit to Mianda, 
the home of Tom and Jim and of several other of 
our boys. This was about seven miles from Macha 
and too far for some of the older people to walk to 
services. ' As the boys were still with us, those in 
the kraal had not yet received any light. They ap- 



310 AFRICA 

peared to be much pleased to see us, but when we 
attempted to point them to. the Savior they seemed 
so dark and so unable to grasp spiritual things. 
This was especially true of Tom's mother, who sat 
in a little dark hut and was afflicted with a very 
sore eye. She had such a hopeless expression on 
her face, that the picture haunted us for many days 
afterwards. 

When Tom, who had accepted the Light as far as 
he knew, had been at the mission fifteen months, 
he desired to return home, and did so. A few 
months after he had returned to his home, one 
day, in company with two of the schoolboys, I 
went about four miles from the mission to visit 
some of the people. Quite unexpectedly we came 
upon Tom's mother in one of the huts. She was 
there visiting some of her friends. As usual, I 
began telling her of Jesus, and her face brightened 
immediately as she exclaimed : 

"Oh, yes! Siwesi [Tom] told me that. He said 
we should not worship the spirits any more ; we. 
should only worship God above [pointing upward]. 
He reads from his Book and sings and prays. I 
enjoy hearing of those things." This woman had 
never been at the mission, and this was the first 
indication, apart from the boys staying with us, 
that we had of Light entering the home. Her eager- 
ness and evident sincerity showed plainly that she 
believed and was accepting the truth, and that the 
Light was coming through one of the schoolboys. 
The contrast between this picture and the first sight 
of this woman was so marked, and the joy of realiz- 
ing that a ray of Light was entering one home at 



MACHA MISSION 311 

least, was so great, that as I retraced my steps 
homeward I kept saying to myself, " It pays, it 
pays." 

Brother Taylor felt especially called to spend his 
time in evangelistic work among the villages, and 
whenever he could snatch time from other duties 
pressing upon him he went out among the people, 
and in this manner a number of villages were vis- 
ited. 

Many of the people at this time were destitute 
of food, as the previous season had not produced 
good crops. Many of them were living on fruits, 
roots, and plants, and much sickness was the re- 
sult. With our large family, and only a moderate 
supply of grain, we were unable to give them much 
assistance, but we did what we could. Had they 
been willing to bring their small children to us we 
would have cared for them until other food was 
grown. One mother did bring her little boy, Hali- 
kumba, who was four or five years of age and nearly 
starved. He enjoyed his new home so much, and 
the abundance of food it supplied, that he would 
run and hide if he saw his mother come for fear 
she would take him away. He was such a little 
mite of humanity that we were afraid of placing 
him in the huts with the other boys, and for a time 
cared for him in the house. 

David returned to Macha in January, 1909, ready 
to enter again with enthusiasm into the work, and 
Brother Taylor concluded that the way was now 
opened for him to spend additional time in evan- 
gelistic labor, so he decided to take several boys 
and spend some time among the Baila north of us. 



312 AFRICA 

This is a bold and warlike tribe, living in large 
villages, and much addicted to drink, dancing, and 
carousals. Rows, and even murders, are not infre- 
quent among them, and it required some courage 
to venture into their, territory. The Lord gave the 
Brother open doors, however, and some attentive 
listeners, and we believe seed was sown that will 
bear fruit in eternity. 

He had some.difficulties to encounter, which were 
not so pleasant. It is a low, flat country ; and as 
he was there in the midst of the rainy season, heavy 
rains flooded the country on all sides, so that he 
was frequently obliged to wade the water in going 
from one village to another. After two months of 
arduous labor, his health gave way and he was 
carried back' sick to the mission. It required some 
time before he fully recovered from the exposure 
and hardships of the trip. 

These experiences are not pleasant, but they are 
incidental to the country, and every missionary 
feels that he should be ready at all times to endure 
for Christ's sake and the salvation of souls what 
men are going through every day for money or a 
home. 

Brother Wenger also had been suffering greatly 
in health while at the mission, both from nervous 
disorders and from fever. Notwithstanding this, he 
decided to begin building a house, since the rains 
were about over and funds had been received for 
this purpose. David also was ready to help in the 
work. With the assistance of the boys they brought 
together stones and began the foundation. Near 
the mission there were very few building stones, 



MACHA MISSION 313 

but this need had been supplied in a rather unex- 
pected manner. The brethren had undertaken to 
dig a well the previous season, but on coming into 
contact with a great deal of stone, which necessi- 
tated blasting, they went down only forty-five feet 
and finally concluded the task was useless. The 
only beneficial result of their labors was the stones 




Jteigerwald and Mr. Doner with 
on Their Trip North of Macha. 

which had been taken out of the well, and which 
furnished a large part of the material for the founda- 
tion of the house. 

Brother Wenger laid the foundation of a house 
41 x 16 feet, with a wing 18 x 10 feet, and began 
work on the brick. Unfortunately, while this was 
in progress, his health gave way repeatedly, and he 
and Sister Wenger concluded that it was advisable 
for them to leave for Bulawayo and finally for 
America, and David continued to work at the house. 
Brother Taylor had sufficiently recovered from his 
illness by this time to be able to take the Wengers 



314 AFRICA 

to the station. He then waited there a few days 
for the train from the south, and brought back with 
him Elder Steigerwald, Mr. Doner, Miss Engle, and 
Gomo, all of whom we w r ere expecting. 

He was absent from the mission eight days, and 
during that time I had an attack of fever and was 
obliged to be in bed for a week. This was my first 
attack, and as it was quite severe, it enabled me to 
sympathize better with those who had been sick 
so much. We were very glad to welcome Sister 
Engle and the rest back to w r ork. The two brethren 
from Bulawayo were on a tour of exploration north, 
but they generously decided to stay and assist 
Brother Taylor to finish the brick work of the new 
house. This timely assistance was greatly appre- 
ciated by us all, and that part of the building was 
completed in two weeks, after which they proceeded 
north. 

The special object of their trip was to look at a 
location north of the Kafue River, where a mission- 
ary had died not long before. This missionary had 
started a work in this unhealthy region, and his life 
had paid the penalty. Some friends of his, notably 
Mrs. Lewis, of Cape Town, had desired our people 
to examine the place, and, if thought advisable, to 
continue the w r ork, and Brother Doner was willing 
to do this if they concluded that the opening was a 
good one. 

They made the journey on foot, accompanied by 
Matshuba and native carriers from the vicinity of 
Macha. They passed through the very heart of 
the territory occupied by the wild Baila, and visited 
the new station at Kasenga, which had just been 



MACHA MISSION 315 

opened by Rev. Smith. He and his heroic wife had 
started this station in the heart of the Baila coun- 
try and in an unhealthful locality, not considering 
their lives dear unto themselves, only that they 
might take the Gospel to these people and con- 
tinue the translation of the New Testament, which 
Mr. Smith had already begun. 




Crossing- the Kafue River in a Native Dugout. 

Near this place the brethren crossed the broad 
Kafue River and proceeded in a northwesternly di- 
rection toward the railroad. They found the mis- 
sion station and the place where the missionary had 
died, and heard some of the children sing a hymn 
which the missionary had taught them. They were 
not very well satisfied, however, with the location, 
and returned to Macha by a different route. They 
traveled on foot a distance of perhaps 250 miles, 
and were absent from Macha a month. They could 
not understand the language and had some trying 
experiences from wild animals and wilder men, but 



316 AFRICA 

the Lord graciously preserved them from all harm. 
They. then returned to Bulawayo to continue their 
labors. 

In the meantime Brother Taylor, with the aid of 
the native brethren, was progressing very satis- 
factorily with the house. It contained four fair- 
sized rooms and a pantry, and had a broad veranda 
on three sides to protect the walls from deteriora- 
tion by sun and rain. These walls were twelve feet 
high, with a drop-ceiling of muslin two feet below 
the eaves, to serve as a protection from the fierce 
rays of the sun and to furnish an air chamber. On 
top of the foundation and underneath the brick walls 
were placed strips of zinc, soldered together, to 
prevent the white ants from forcing their way 
through into the walls and thence onto the timbers 
of the roof. The floors were of earth, pounded hard 
and well tarred to keep out the ants. The large 
glass windows were quite a relief from the small 
holes in the old house. Later the windows and the 
greater part of the veranda were screened. The 
house was in every way most satisfactory, except 
that it was not quite proof against the white ants. 
Cement floors and steel ceilings would have been 
preferable, but the cost was prohibitive. 

Sister Engle's return gave us an opportunity of 
continuing the kraal-visiting, and we made use of 
it in gaining an entrance into other homes. At Ka- 
banzi village, about nine miles away, services had 
been held more or less regularly ever since the 
establishment of the mission, and Sister Engle and 
I decided to take the tent and spend a week at this 
place and hold some Gospel services. Gomo and a 



MACHA MISSION 



317 




318 AFRICA 

number of the boys accompanied us and built a hut 
for the use of those coming here to conduct serv- 
ices. This week spent among the people was a 
most delightful one, and beneficial physically, espe- 
cially to myself, since I was feeling the effects of 
my three years' stay in this climate. The people 
attended the services well, and seemed greatly in- 
terested as they sat around the campfire and lis- 
tened to the Message. 

In other homes too there was beginning to be a 
change, for the girls were coming out of their se- 
clusion and listening to the old, old Story, and some 
were even venturing to the mission on Sunday. 
Some of the older people also appeared interested, 
and made a show at least of desiring to be Chris- 
tians. 

This does not imply that the kraals around us 
were fast accepting the Gospel as a result of the 
three years' labor among them. No, the devil was 
plying his trade at our very doors. Almost nightly 
one could hear the tomtoms beaten in connection 
with their worship, or as an accompaniment in their 
immoral dances; for none of their worship was 
omitted by the older ones, at least in their homes. 
The missionary work was just begun, and perhaps 
none of the present workers would live to see the 
day when these things would cease in the villages. 
The false religions and customs which have been 
so deeply imbedded for centuries would require 
patient, consecrated labor for years, and even gen- 
erations, to uproot. One must be willing to go on, 
day by day, although he may see little or no fruit 



MACHA MISSION 



319 



of his labors, knowing that the Great Husbandman 
will care for the seed sown. 

The work thus far, however, had not been with- 
out its visible fruits, as the stability of some of our 
boys gave ample testimony. The number staying 
at the mission had now grown to forty. These were 
some of the called-out" ones from the various kraals 




First Baptismal Scene at Macha. Native 
Congregation Not Visible. 

about us. Each had sent its quota, and although 
some had come and gone, the great majority stayed 
on from year to year. As the Light came to them 
they came and confessed their sins, forsook their 
old life and accepted Christ as their Savior, show- 
ing by their lives that they were His. Some of 
these were about grown ; others were still quite 
young, but we hoped to see the day when some of 



320 



AFRICA 



them would become teachers and evangelists of 
their people. 

Word had been received that Elders J. N. Engle 
and J. Sheets were to be sent out by the Mission 
Board to visit the various stations and report on 
the progress of the work. In November, 1909, just 
after we had moved into the new house, they, to- 




Wedding Dinner at Macha. 



gether with Elder Steigerwald, came to pay us the 
long-looked-for visit. Their visit was greatly en- 
joyed and we believe was a blessing to the work of 
the Lord. To Brother Sheets the boys gave the 
name " Happy," no doubt because he frequently 
used the word and also showed it in his manner. 
Two important events occurred during their stay, 
which deserve special mention. 



MACHA MISSION 321 

The first was the marriage, on November 4, of 
Mr. Taylor and Miss Adda Engle. The natives 
were invited to this ceremony, and about 350 ac- 
cepted the invitation. Several chiefs came with 
their people and arranged themselves in groups, 
eager to see what a Christian wedding was like. 
The marriage ceremony was performed by Bishop 
Engle, who was a son of the first bishop to Matopo 
Mission, and also a cousin of the bride. Bishop 
Steigerwald delivered an excellent and instructive 
discourse to the natives on the importance of the 
occasion and the tenets of Christian marriage. This 
was interpreted into the vernacular by David and 
was listened to most attentively by the natives pres- 
ent. It was their first opportunity of learning this 
phase of Christianity, and it was an important event 
from a missionary standpoint. Christian marriage 
and the principles it stands for generally require a 
long time for inculcation into the hearts and lives 
of at least the older natives, but many of the young- 
er ones very readily accept it, as the many Christian 
marriages performed at our older stations testify. 

At the close of the ceremony, and after the mis- 
sionaries and boys had offered their congratulations, 
the rest of the natives congratulated in their own 
way, which was by the clapping of hands. Some 
also began cheering with the mouth, but this dem- 
onstration was checked. Brother Taylor had ar- 
ranged to give them a feast of beef and porridge, 
and this they greatly enjoyed, as it is to some the 
great aim of life ; namely, to have plenty to eat. 

The second important event was the occasion of 
the first baptism at Macha, in which ten of our 



322 AFRICA 

boys were baptized by Brother Steigerwald in the 
Macha River, and received into Church fellowship, 
thus showing to their heathen neighbors that they 
had forsaken their old lives. A beautiful feature 
of this was that some of the parents and older ones 
met them as they came out of the water and seemed 
to rejoice with them in their new life. There were 
others who were eager to take the step, but it was 
thought they had not yet sufficiently counted the 
cost. 

We then had the privilege of surrounding the 
table of the Lord together with these who had been 
so lately snatched from heathen darkness. These 
were the first fruits of Macha and reminded one of 
Professor Drummond's experience in Nyassaland. 
He says : " I cherish no more sacred memory of 
my life than that of a communion service in the 
little Bandawe Church, when the sacramental cup 
was handed to me by the bare black arm of a native 
communicant — a communicant whose life, tested 
afterwards in many an hour of trial with me on the 
Tanganyika Plateau, gave him perhaps a better 
right to be there than any of us." 

The missionary too is often made to feel, as he 
sees some of these humble, black followers of the 
Lord, and thinks how far they have come, and how 
steadfast the lives of many of them prove to be, 
that He Who sees and tests all hearts may, with 
Mr. Drummond, conclude that they have a better 
right to sit around the table of the Lord than any 
of us. 



CHAPTER SEVEN 
Other Missionary Experiences 

THE experiences of a missionary are so many 
and so diverse that nothing should surprise 
him. To give these experiences, with too 
distinct a line of demarcation, would not place the 
work in its proper setting, for they often come pil- 
ing one upon the other and cannot be separated. 

I had now been north of the Zambezi nearly three 
and one-half years, and was in need of a change, so 
when the delegation from America left I also went 
along to the station. Brother and Sister Taylor ac- 
companied. us to Choma Station on a little wedding 
trip, and then returned to carry on the work at 
Macha, while David took charge of the school. 
Elders Engle and Steigerwald went north on an 
exploring trip as far as Broken Hill. Brother 
Sheets went to Bulawayo, and I to Natal. 

On the way south an accident occurred which 
was quite unusual, even for this animal-ridden 
country. After the train had passed the Zambezi 
River and Wankie Coal Fields, in the evening about 
eight o'clock there was a lunge in the train and a 
lady in the same compartment with myself ex- 
claimed, " There must be an accident of some kind." 
The train soon came to a sudden stop, and it was 
evident that something had happened. People be- 
gan running about in the darkness, a large bonfire 
323 



324 AFRICA 

was soon built near the front of the train, a bulky 
form was visible, and word came back that we had 
struck an elephant. Great excitement prevailed. 
Gomo also was on the train, returning to his home, 
and he came back to our compartment and said, 
" Come and see the elephant. I'll take care of you." 

I went forward with him and found a huge ele- 
phant lying beside the train. Its two hind feet were 
crushed, as the engine, tender, and service car had 
passed over them ; otherwise it was unhurt, and at 
times made violent efforts to stand upon its front 
feet. At such times the crowd of people would 
suddenly take flight, to be out of harm's way, and a 
box-car near by was in danger of being demolished. 
No one on the train was supplied with a large rifle, 
suitable for elephant hunting, but small ones kept 
up a lively fire, until perhaps three dozen were 
emptied into the huge bulk before it succumbed. 

The engine had been derailed by the violence of 
the shock, and it would require some time before 
we could proceed. Judging from the spoor it was 
evident that the elephant was one of those large 
ones that roam the forests alone, and it had run 
quite a distance on the track before the engine 
struck it. It was an immense animal, and the large 
ears resembled a cape lying back over the shoulders. 

There were a number of natives on the train, who 
were going down to work in the mines about Bula- 
wayo, and they wished to begin at once on the feast 
of meat before them, but the authorities thought it 
best to put them at working the large jacks used in 
moving the engine back on the rails. All night long 
bright fires of logs were kept burning to light up 



MACHA MISSION 



M5 



the scene and work. The engine finally was in 
place, and the natives eagerly hastened to cut out 
large pieces of elephant meat and to roast it over 
the great beds of coal left from the campfires of 
the night. Soon, however, the train began to move, 
just twelve hours from the time of stopping, and 
the natives, with their raw or half-cooked meat, has- 




The Elephant That Derailed the Train. 



tened to enter their car, and we moved on, having 
had a share in one of the most exciting railroad 
trips of the season. The tusks of this elephant fi- 
nally found their way into the Bulawayo Museum. 
The tusks of the African elephant often are quite 
large and heavy. I once saw in a European home 
three pairs of tusks from elephants lately killed by 
a young farmer. Of one pair of tusks each was 



326 AFRICA 

five feet long, eighteen inches in diameter; one 
weighed one hundred pounds and the other five 
pounds less. We are informed, however, that some 
have tusks still much larger than these. 

It is unnecessary to give the details of this, our 
second trip south to Natal and Johannesburg, and 
my visit to our mission stations in the Matopos have 
already been mentioned. I was absent six months 
and felt thoroughly rested and ready for the work 
again. On my return to Bulawayo, however, I 
learned the sad news that the native who had come 
south on the train at the same time as myself had, 
since he was at home, fallen into sin. We were all 
deeply grieved over this, and he confessed and 
wept over his condition, but appeared discouraged 
and unable to take hold of the Lord by faith for 
pardon and cleansing. There were several others in 
his home who had once confessed Christ and had 
backslidden, and they no doubt had their influence 
over him. The Lord is still able to redeem him, 
and may he have our prayers. Such are some of 
the heavy burdens the missionaries have to bear. 

On my return in June, 1910, Misses Mary Heisey 
and Elizabeth Engle accompanied me to Macha to 
pay a visit to that place. Brother Taylor met us at 
the station and conveyed us to the mission, where 
we were greeted by a crowd of boys and five girls, 
who had joined the mission family, with the clap- 
ping of hands and the firing of a rifle. We rejoiced 
that we could again return to our field of labor. 

In the new house and improved surroundings ev- 
ery one had been well and the work had been mov- 
ing forward in all its departments under the efri- 



MACHA MISSION 



327 




328 AFRICA 

cient management of Brother and Sister Taylor. 
Not only had these girls come to stay at the mission, 
but David had prevailed upon a number to attend 
day-school, at least part of the time. Sister Taylor, 
in addition to her many other duties, had formed all 
these girls into a sewing-class and was endeavoring 
to teach them to make garments for themselves. 
This was the first opportunity that had been given 
of instructing girls in sewing, and she had made 
remarkable progress also in instructing them in 
their work about the house. 

Naturally they do not know what cleanliness is, 
either about their person or in their homes. They 
seldom wash, they go half-clad, and smear their 
bodies with paint and grease, and often let the dogs 
lick clean the few dishes or pots which they possess. 
If their hands are wet or dirty, the posts of the 
veranda, blocks of wood, or floors are used as towels 
to wipe on. They see no reason for continually 
washing a lot of dishes, sweeping floors, and keep- 
ing the house in order; and they open their eyes in 
astonishment to see white sheets and tablecloths 
put into the water to be washed. The few articles 
of clothing to be seen in their homes are generally 
so thickly coated with grease and dirt as often to 
render it impossible to distinguish the color. Many 
times they do not have any soap, and even if they 
do have, they object to washing their clothing for 
fear it will wear out. And yet these young girls, 
reared in such homes had, in these few months, 
made rapid progress and were becoming quite pro- 
ficient in assisting with some of the work of the 



MACHA MISSION 329 

kitchen. Sister Taylor's great patience in teaching 
them was bearing fruit. 

Brother Taylor had, in connection with his other 
duties, made a large galvanized iron tank to hold 
rain water. This was large enough for 1,700 gal- 
lons of water, and was greatly needed, as the river 
water which we were obliged to use was very muddy 
part of the year. He had always maintained that 
he was no mechanic, but another missionary, Rev. 
Kerswell, who had had experience in mechanical 
work, said on seeing this tank, " Mr. Taylor, you 
say that you are no mechanic ; but if you made this, 
you are one ; for no one but a mechanic could per- 
form such a piece of work." 

While the sisters were with us Brother Taylor 
and wife arranged to take them on a trip north, so 
that they might have an opportunity of seeing some- 
thing of the country and the natives. For this pur- 
pose the wagon was again fitted up with the tent 
and camping outfit and the ten oxen inspanned. A 
number of the schoolboys were permitted to accom- 
pany them for a holiday, but the regular driver for 
the wagon did not go along. They spent some time 
at the two large villages of Kabanzi and Simeoba, 
holding services and conversing with the natives, 
and then proceeded toward a village farther north. 
The grass was long, the road new, and darkness 
was coming on when they approached the village. 
As frequently happens near a village, there was a 
large opening in the ground from which clay had 
been taken to plaster the huts. This was partly 
hidden by the long grass, and had not been noticed 
in the gathering darkness. Brother Taylor had 



330 



AFRICA 




MACHA MISSION 331 

gone in advance to look out a place for camping, 
"and some of the boys were driving. The wheels of 
one side of the wagon went down suddenly into the 
excavation and the wagon was overturned, the tent 
being under the heavy wagon. The accident might 
have been very serious for the women, but fortu- 
nately there were two large boxes in the wagon and 
these prevented the weight of the wagon from rest- 
ing on them and they escaped without any serious 
injury, but the tent was of course ruined. Brother 
Taylor said that, as he hastened to the wagon, he 
heard a boy on the rear end of the wagon yelling 
lustily ; so he felt satisfied that that one was not 
dead, and he turned his first attention to those who 
were making no noise. 

When the sisters returned to their fields of labor, 
David again returned home, this time to be married 
and bring back a wife from Mapani Station. 

The spiritual condition of the pupils continued 
excellent. There was a spirit of inquiry among 
them and a seaching after God at times, as the Spir- 
it was poured out upon them. Some prayed through 
to victory and a definite knowledge of sins forgiven. 
Those who had been with us longer were instru- 
mental in bringing the newer ones to seek pardon. 
The spirit among them was such that any one who 
did not care to be a Christian generally did not re- 
main long at the mission. At this time also we were 
favored with special donations and enabled to equip 
the school better and give more attention toward 
the training of teachers. 

It will be remembered that one of the special 
needs was a translation of the Scriptures into the 



332 AFRICA 

language of the people. The books already in use, 
prepared by Rev. Smith, were in the Ila language. 
This was sufficiently allied to the Tonga for use at 
Macha ; and it is always an advantage in the mission 
field to unify the languages as much as possible, so 
as to reduce rather than increase the number of 
languages. 

St. Mark was already in print, and Mr. Smith, 
together with some of his colleagues, was putting 
forth great efforts to translate the entire New Testa- 
ment into Ila. At their urgent request I consented to 
be on the revision committee, for they desired to 
make the translation as intelligible as possible to the 
Batonga, so that it could be used all over North- 
western Rhodesia, with the exception of among the 
Barotse, where the Suto language was in use. Mat- 
thew was soon in print, and the entire New Testa- 
ment is at present in the hands of the publishers. 
The translators deserve much praise for their labori- 
ous task and the creditable manner in which they 
have performed the much-needed translation. The 
Word cannot be properly disseminated among the 
people unless the pupils have it in their own lan- 
guage as they go out among the villages to teach. 

Placing native teachers in their homes seems to 
be the best method of reaching the majority of the 
people, and especially the girls; and some of the 
pupils were sufficiently advanced to begin teaching, 
yet they were somewhat young to go out into their 
dark, dark homes and stand alone for God. Not- 
withstanding this, before the end of 1910 several 
schools were opened in the nearest villages, and the 



MACHA MISSION 333 

teachers boarded at the mission and went hack and 
forth to teach. 

On Christmas week of this year a sad and unfor- 
tunate affair occurred, which threw a gloom over 
the community. My readers will remember the 
Chief Macha, who sent a goat the first Christmas, 
and who was the first to bring his little boy as a 
pupil in school. To all appearances he was a friend 
of the work from the beginning, and he was nearly 
always to be found in his place at the services on 
Sunday. He had even expressed a desire several 
times to be a Christian. We knew his life had not 
changed, but he had evidently lost faith in some 
of the old pagan beliefs, and his influence was worth 
much. He was a man of importance in the neigh- 
borhood and the owner of a herd of cattle, which 
was quite large from a native standpoint. 

On the day before Christinas word came that he 
had gone to the hills and could not be found ; again 
that he was found dead, killed by a lion. His son 
at once went home, and I, together with some of 
the girls, soon followed. On the way to the village 
we met a native woman, who informed us that he 
was already buried, and on our arrival at the place 
we found that those who buried him had gone to 
the river to wash. While we were sitting there 
several of the people came to speak to us, and we no- 
ticed that some of the men spoke together in a low 
tone. Their answers to some of our questions were 
somewhat vague ; but as there was no suspicion of 
foul play, we thought no more of the matter and 
asked no further questions. 

After the people returned from the river, the wail- 



334 



AFRICA 





f*f~£fi ' * 










' . ; %, ■■•■ %; • 






.■-< --if- 
- 



MACHA MISSION 335 

ing began by about thirty or thirty-five men walk- 
ing back and forth, brandishing their assegais and 
guns and crying " Mawe! " At the same time the 
women stood about the grave, wailing and calling 
upon the dead. The sight was somewhat fearful 
and might have alarmed a stranger, but since the 
majority of these were from the adjacent kraals and 
were acquainted with us we feared no violence. In 
the evening Brother Taylor and the boys went over 
to show their sympathy, and the next day services 
were held there. All this time nothing further was 
learned except that the chief was killed by a lion. 
The English official from Kalomo, who, with his 
messengers, happened to be in the neighborhood at 
the time, received the same version of the cause of 
the death as we did. According to native custom, 
the brother of the deceased assumed his title and 
appropriated his cattle, and the affair, as far as it 
concerned ourselves, was dropped. 

About three weeks later Lupata, another chief, 
who lived near, together with one of his men, and 
Kaiba, a nephew of the deceased, came to inform us 
that Macha had been murdered. They said that he 
had been murdered while out on the veldt, and an 
attempt made to hide the body. A number of na- 
tives went to search for him, Lupata among the 
number, and when they discovered the body they 
saw at once that a murder had been committed. The 
brother of the murdered man enjoined the rest to 
secrecy and promised to give Lupata some cattle if 
he would not tell the missionaries or officials of the 
crime. Lupata, although very fond of cattle, of 
which he had only a few, did not jump at the bribe. 



336 AFRICA 

He said that he and Kaiba desired to inform me on 
the day of the funeral that the chief had been mur- 
dered, but the brother said, " Do not talk about it to 
the white people," and they had been silent for fear 
of offending him ; as natives never like to gain the 
ill will of their fellows. 

We might have heard nothing further about it, 
at least for a time ; but the brother was afraid the 
crime might leak out, and he still hoped to silence 
the affair by giving the other chief some cattle. To 
do this he was not willing to take of his own cattle, 
which he had taken from the murdered man, but 
tried to take those of Kaiba, who was a good, un- 
assuming native. Kaiba greatly resented this dis- 
position of his property, and wanted to take the 
matter to the magistrate at Kalomo. He and Lu- 
pata came to inform us of the murder and wished 
us to inform the magistrate by letter. Lupata said, 
" I do not want his cattle and I think you should 
write and tell the Mwami [magistrate] of the mur- 
der." Both refused to state who they thought was 
the murderer. 

Brother Taylor wrote an explanation of the affair 
and Kaiba carried the letter to the magistrate, the 
brother and two other natives accompanying. This 
was the first intimation the magistrate had of foul 
play, and when he put the question to them they 
readily acknowledged that the man had been mur- 
dered. The brother, however, who had always been 
opposed to everything good, and had a very evil 
countenance, showed the cunning of his master; 
and he and one of the men accompanying put the 
blame on the third. This one acknowledged his 



MACHA MISSION 



337 



guilt, saying that he and the other had killed the 
chief and the brother had sent them. W'c were in- 
formed later that the brother sent them three times 
before they became willing to perform the deed. 
Of course all three were put behind the bars. 

It was a case of alleged witchcraft. Several chil- 
dren had died in the kraal under peculiar circum- 
stances, and the blame had been laid by the brother, 
who was a witch doctor, on the chief. "We prefer to 




Sisters Engle Crossing the Tuli River in the Matopo 
Hills. 



think, from what we know of the two, that the 
brother was the guilty one in each instance, and 
was desirous of the chief's property and position. 

During this rainy season it was thought advis- 
able for Brother and Sister Taylor to go to Bula- 
wayo and Matopo Mission for a much-needed rest. 
She went in November and he followed in January, 
1911. At the same time David returned with his 
wife, Mankunku. Mankunku is one of the converts 
from Mapani Mission. She is a sincere Christian 



338 AFRICA 

girl, and has proved a great help and blessing among 
the women and girls at Macha ever since she came. 
These two, with myself, prosecuted the work at 
Macha for the next five months alone. 

There were at this time forty-six boys and four 
girls staying at the mission, and it was necessary, 
not only to teach them in school, but to keep them 
profitably employed during work hours and out on 
the farm. Quite a fair amount of land was under 
cultivation, and Brother Taylor had planted grain, 
fruit, and vegetables before he left, the care of which 
gave the boys plenty of work to do during the 
rainy season. As soon as that was over David made 
use of them in getting grass and poles together for 
building, and as permanent buildings were to be 
erected they tried to secure hardwood rafters. 

Although there were so many boys together, yet 
all manifested a nice Christian spirit. They were 
not quarrelsome, and they were obedient and faith- 
ful in their work. The chief difficulty with natives 
is that they are inclined to keep their eyes fixed on 
the missionary too constantly and do not learn to 
depend on God for their own spiritual needs. The 
missionary, as he realizes the responsibility resting 
upon him, often feels like exclaiming, " Who is suf- 
ficient for these things?" to lead all in the right 
way. He may rejoice, however, that he can contin- 
ually say, " My sufficiency is of God." He must 
also by every means in his power get their eyes off 
of himself and fix them on God. Otherwise they 
will do what is right at the mission and fall when 
those props are removed. 

June 16 I wrote somewhat as follows: 



MACHA MISSION 339 

Last Monday the wagon went to the Myeki River 
(about five miles distant) to get some thatching grass 
which the boys had cut there the week before. I thought 
it an excellent opportunity to visit Semani, who has been 
sick for some time and not likely to recover. I took 
along three girls and the two six-year-old boys and 
thoroughly dismissed from my mind home cares. We 
had a delightful ride over and a nice walk back, but best 
of all was the visit with Semani. He had accepted Christ 
while here at the mission and had often accompanied 
David in his kraal-visiting. He became sick, however, 
and we seemed unable to help him, so he desired to re- 
turn home until he was well. He was always hoping 
he would recover and return to us. 

He has pleurisy and is continually growing worse, and 
it is evident that the end is not far off. He greeted me 
with a smile as I entered, and while we were speaking, 
I inquired "Is Jesus here?" The reply, with a bright 
smile was, " Yes, He is here." We continued to speak 
of the things of the other world and what the Lord has 
in store for His children, and through it all he seemed 
so ready both to talk and to listen. His old heathen 
mother sat there in sort of a dazed wonder to hear us 
speaking thus familiarly and without fear of death and 
transition. For her sake I then asked him if he were 
afraid to die. He quickly replied, " Oh, no, I am not at 
all afraid to die; I am ready." 

Later, when we bowed in prayer, he prayed, " I thank 
Thee, God, for Thy help and blessing. I have come 
through some hard places, but Thou hast given me vic- 
tory. And, Jesus, if my time has come and You want to 
take me, it is all right. I'll gladly go with You." 

How we could rejoice that here was one who, only 
two or three years ago, was a raw heathen boy, now so 
happy in the Lord, and so ready to meet Him. If one 
soul is worth more than the whole world then our com- 
ing to Macha has not been in vain. His people had been 
wanting to " throw bones " and " smell out " the one who, 
according to their ideas, had bewitched him, but he stead- 
fastly refused, for he has no faith in those things. 



340 



AFRICA 




The Bottle Palm. 



MACHA MISSION 341 

Later it was my privilege to again visit him, to- 
gether with Mankunku. We had made a trip to a 
village beyond, where we remained for the night, 
and stopped with Semani, both going and returning. 
He was much weaker at this time and it was evi- 
dent the end was near, and his friends had gathered 
and were ready for the wailing. We found him, 
although in great pain and with great difficulty in 
breathing, yet rejoicing and happy in the thought 
that he was soon going home. He could not lie 
down, but was supported in the arms of his mother, 
who was doing all in her power to help him bear 
his suffering. He was, however, able to take a little 
of the nourishment which we brought him. On our 
return the day following, he was still weaker. In 
the night his friends thought he was dying, when 
he suddenly roused and sang " Jesu udi tu fwine " 
("Jesus loves me"). These heathen friends in 
speaking to one another the next day said, " His 
heart is white toward God, and that is the reason he 
can sing when dying." 

Before we departed he requested Christian burial, 
so we left word for them to inform us at once of 
his death. Word came that same evening. Brother 
Taylor was at home by this time, and he and 
David, together with a number of the schoolboys, 
went at once to the burial, although it was night. 
They found the body prepared for burial and the 
people digging the grave. Brother Taylor said ev- 
erything was carried on most quietly until services 
were over and the body had been buried ; then the 
heathen part of the wailing began in earnest. His 
brother, while wailing, continued to cry out, " Se- 



342 AFRICA 

mani, where has he gone? He has gone to the 
light. Oh! where has he gone?" It was the wail 
of gross darkness seeing a faint glimmer of light, 
but knowing not how to reach it. 

The deathbed of our friends, surrounded with all 
the comforts this life can afford — soft beds, willing, 
low-voiced nurses, dainty food, helpful and spiritual 
ministrations — is often trying enough ; here, how- 
ever, was one deprived of all these comforts, with 
the exception of the occasional visits of his mission- 
aries, lying or sitting on the hard floor, with only a 
mat for a bed, without even the ordinary decencies 
of life, much less its comforts, in a village and home 
wholly pagan ; and yet he goes, rejoicing in his 
Savior's love, carried out of this dark hovel to be- 
hold things " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man the 
things which God hath prepared," but He had al- 
ready revealed them unto him by His Spirit. 



CHAPTER EIGHT 

Further Improvements and Industrial Work 

INDUSTRIAL work had from the ' first pro- 
gressed very favorably at the mission. The 
majority of boys, as they came, stayed on from 
year to year and exhibited more tenacity of purpose 
than is generally to be found among the natives 
Some of them had assisted in making brick for the 
house and in the building ; others had learned to 
handle the oxen in the wagon and on the farm in 
plowing, harrowing, and cultivating, while a num- 
ber were engaged in gardening, hoeing, and the 
general work of the farm. Even the youngest were 
not idle, although their labors did not equal the 
expense of their keeping. We were, however, grow- 
ing sufficient grain and food to supply our large 
family so that they could be kept from year to year 
under Christian training without their proving a 
heavy burden on the mission financially. 

In June we were pleased to receive Brother and 
Sister Taylor back from Bulawayo, and with them 
a blessing to the mission in the person of a little 
baby, Ruth Taylor. I use the term blessing advised- 
ly, for this dainty little Ruth was indeed such to all 
connected with the work. These people had not 
seen a white child, and this one was an ever-increas- 
ing source of wonder and interest to the black faces 
around us. They would stand near her noting every 
343 



344 AFRICA 

move and commenting on everything they saw. Her 
soft white skin and spotless garments soon gave her 
a name. " U swezhiwa " (" she is clean or pure ") 
the girls called her, and thus she undoubtedly 
looked by contrast. Her presence often attracted 
to the services people, especially the women, who 
otherwise 'would have remained at home; for in the 
eyes of some, all other interests paled besides this 
mite of humanity, and it warmed their hearts toward 
the entire work. When we went to the village she 
was again a center of attraction, and when we went 
alone the natives would always inquire about U 
swezhiwa and her mother. When prayer was of- 
fered by the boys for the missionaries, the child was 
never forgotten. 

After Brother Taylor's return the preparation for 
building went forward with accelerated speed. This 
dry season of 1911 was an unusually busy one at 
Macha. A church was greatly needed, for the one 
which David had erected four years previously, and 
which appeared to be so well-built, was rapidly 
showing signs of decay. It was still standing, but 
the ants had riddled the roof to such an extent that 
some of the timbers were falling, piece by piece, 
sometimes to the danger and great annoyance of 
those within. On this account we decided that it 
was best to vacate it even before the new one was 
finished. The boys' huts also were decaying, and 
we found it difficult to house the large number of 
boys staying at the mission. These thatched roofs 
are very heavy, and if some part of the wall becomes 
weak the huts may become dangerous to life. 

One evening the boys of one of the huts came to 



MACHA MISSION 345 

say that the roof of their hut was breaking. We 
told them to take their blankets and clothing and go 
into another hut. They did so, and in the morning 
their own building was found leveled to the ground. 
As we viewed the sudden ruin we breathed a prayer 
of thanksgiving that no one was hurt. There had 
been about fifteen boys sleeping in that hut, and 
had they been inside some would have been killed 
or seriously injured. This enabled us to realize how 
dangerous huts were when partly eaten, and the 
need of better buildings. 

On account of building it was fortunate that there 
was such a large number of boys staying at the 
mission, and that the majority were large enough to 
be of service, so that there was no need of employ- 
ing outside labor. Brother Taylor was excellent in 
training boys along industrial lines, a quality which 
is especially useful and helpful on the mission field, 
both in the interests of the work and of the natives 
themselves. Some people are glad to use native 
helpers when they are trained ready to order, but 
they soon become discouraged when time and pa- 
tience are required. 

The native learns by doing, and often learns by 
his many mistakes. Again, he may be careless and 
consider accuracy unnecessary. He is nature's 
child, and everything he does for himself is in 
curves. His hut is round, his baskets are round, his 
paths are meandering, like the stream, for he, like it, 
goes in the path of least resistance. Straight lines 
and right angles are unintelligible to him, and he 
does not readily grasp such things, nor does he easi- 
ly learn to make them. Patience, which is always a 



346 AFRICA 

virtue, is, in industrial work among the natives, an 
absolute necessity. One who will not take time and 
teach them will accomplish nothing praiseworthy in 
this respect. 

We said the native learns by doing; so he does, 
but it is generally by doing not once or twice but 
repeatedly. One of my first lessons along this line 
was when visiting in the home of an official. The 
lady had always lived in South Africa and had been 
accustomed to deal with the natives all her life. 
Noticing a basket of snowy-white clothes I inquired, 
" Who does your washing? " 

She replied, " The boys ; I send them to the river 
to wash." 

" But how can you teach them to do their work so 
well?" 

" If they do not do it properly," she replied, " I 
send them back to repeat it until it suits me." 

This is the keynote of the situation. In addition 
to showing them how to perform a task, one must 
insist on their doing it just as they have been told. 
If they become careless or learn with difficulty, one 
should not become discouraged and go and finish 
the work — for this frequently is easier than to teach 
the natives — but should insist on 'their repeating the 
task until it is properly done. Some natives with 
very little instruction become experts at certain 
kinds of work. And sometimes even raw ones read- 
ily adapt themselves to housework with very little 
training. A lady in Bulawayo, who was a very 
careful housekeeper, had a native boy as servant, 
who was giving excellent satisfaction, yet she sup- 
posed that on her own exertions depended the work 



MACHA MISSION 347 

of keeping the rooms in order. Finally he con- 
cluded to leave her service, and she said she did 
not know until after he left how much work he had 
really done. He had been in the habit, early in the 
morning, before his master and mistress arose, of 
going over the house, cleaning and polishing mirrors 
and furniture. 




Macha Mission Church and Boys' House Built 
by Mr. Myron Taylor. 

Another native, whose name has been frequently 
mentioned in these pages, was exceedingly cleanly 
and careful in his personal appearance. His clothes 
were always well washed and mended, and he went 
on the principle that a stitch in time saves nine. He 
learned to do things by seeing others perform them 
and was able to do them well. Although coming 
from a raw heathen home he was called an excep- 



348 AFRICA 

tional native, even by those who had had long expe- 
rience with civilized natives. 

As a rule those who are careful and painstaking 
are generally slow, and many who are quick often 
do not perform their work properly. Some never 
seem to respond to careful teaching, and with oth- 
ers, many both trying and ludicrous blunders often 
occur. In the early days of Macha Mission we had 
a half-grown boy, by the name of Hamambile, help- 
ing in the kitchen. He was a good boy and seemed 
to be performing his work properly. One day sev- 
eral of the boys, who had been working on the farm 
and had soiled their hands, came into the kitchen. 
Hamambile was washing the dishes, so he generous- 
ly stepped aside and invited the boys to wash their 
hands in the water where the dishes were being 
washed, and this they were vigorously doing when 
Sister Engle stepped in at the door. Nor did her 
presence in the least abash the boys, for they saw 
no impropriety in the act. 

Again, during the last year some new girls had 
joined the mission family and were being initiated 
into the mysteries of housekeeping. They seemed 
to learn well and were doing their work properly, 
but one day Sister Doner, on looking out of the 
window, was shocked to see a girl out in the yard 
with the dishpan, washing her feet. She too failed 
to see anything out of place in her act when she 
was first spoken to. She said she was just making 
use of some of the nice soapsuds on the water, for 
she thought it was too nice to throw away. It can 
easily be seen that one needs to be continually 
watchful while teaching some of them. On the oth- 



MACHA MISSION 349 

er hand, there is no doubt that the raw native con- 
siders the white man or woman very cranky and 
extreme when he insists on cleanliness and order 
about the work. 

On account of the great need it was necessary to 
build both a church and boys' house in the one dry 
season. There was erected a substantial church. 
42 x 21 feet, with a wide veranda in front, which 
was also partly walled up, and a boys' house, 55 x 16 
feet, of five rooms, with a veranda all along the 
front. These were both of burnt brick with thatched 
roofs. All the hardwood timber for rafters and 
plates, and also the large amount of thatching grass, 
were procured by the boys the same season, begin- 
ning in March and April. The bricks too were made 
and both buildings were under cover by the 1st of 
December. This was all done with the aid of the 
school boys under the supervision of Brother Tay- 
lor, assisted by David. Part of the time the work 
was in progress during school hours, the boys who 
assisted at such times receiving full wages, as they 
are all eager to earn a little extra money. During 
the month of brickmaking, the boys donated their 
time as an offering to the Church. 

After they had made the bricks, Brother Taylor 
started on the foundation of the church, and then 
trained several of the Batonga boys in bricklaying. 
Together with himself and David they laid the walls 
of the church, all the larger boys having a share in 
some part of the work. The walls of the building 
are high, are fourteen inches in thickness and well 
laid. When this was completed Brother Taylor left 
David, assisted by some of the boys, to put on the 



350 AFRICA 

thatched roof, which too is an excellent piece of 
work, while he turned his attention to the boys' 
house. Nearly all the brick work of this building 
was done by the boys under his supervision, and at 
the same time he was directing some in sawing by 
hand and making door and window frames out of 
the native hardwood timber. Later some of the 
boys were instructed in thatching it. 

When this boys' house, fifty-five feet long, was 
completed in January, the only thing in its construc- 
tion that had been bought for the purpose was the 
zinc under the walls to exclude the ants. The doors 
were made of the boards of packing cases in which 
a wagon had been sent from America; the thatching 
was tied on with strips of animal hides procured 
from the natives. The bedsteads were made of poles 
procured in the forests and reeds from the river. 
These were tied with bark string, and over the top 
were placed animal hides also bought from the na- 
tives. Later the rooms were whitewashed and they, 
with the long veranda in front, made an excellent 
and clean-looking home for the boys. The church 
had imported doors and windows, as well as zinc 
and thatching twine. Otherwise the material was 
almost native. 

It was a creditable year's work and Brother Tay- 
lor deserved much praise for the ability with which 
it was all managed and the boys trained. No doubt 
some, on reading these lines, might say, " I could 
never be a missionary if I had to build like that! " 
" Where there is a will there is a way," is just as 
applicable on the mission field as elsewhere. It is 
surprising what one can accomplish if he is willing 



MACHA MISSION 



351 




352 AFRICA 

to be used. Every one of the men on the mission 
field has done excellent work along these lines, as 
the 5 well-built brick houses and churches on the six 
mission stations at the present day testify. Some at 
first declared that they could not build, but, doubt- 
less, today they look with surprise and satisfaction 
on the work of their own hands. In addition to this 
they have every reason to be thankful for the great 
amount of missionary work they were able to ac- 
complish in the building by training and fitting the 
boys to a higher plane of living. 

After the buildings were under roof, Brother Tay- 
lor, who had always desired to devote more time to 
evangelistic work among the villages, felt that his 
way was opened to attend almost exclusively to that 
line of work. Previous to this he had held services 
at many of the villages, such as Mapanza, Simeoba, 
Kabanzi, Kabwe, and at almost all the important 
villages near as well as north among the Baila; but 
during the year following he went out with his tent 
and sometimes spent two, three, and even four 
weeks at one place, so that he might have an oppor- 
tunity of giving the people a fair conception of the 
Gospel. He spent a month at Chungu, near a large 
village, over twenty miles from the mission. 

He had visited the place before, but the people 
were not eager to listen. At this time he pitched his 
tent a short distance from the village and informed 
the people that he had come to teach them, and that 
those desiring to hear should come to the tent at 
such a time as best suited them. About 8 A. M. 
every day a fair-sized congregation gathered at the 
tent and heard the Gospel expounded to them. He 



MACHA MISSION 353 

had some very good meetings at that place, and the 
people became interested sufficiently to request a 
school. 

During the year he found many open doors and 
gave the Gospel to a large number of people who 
had never heard of a Savior, and there were urgent 
calls to start new stations in the needy places. How 
one longs to see some one step in at the opportune 
time and plant lights in the midst of the darkness! 

While this work was progressing David devoted 
his time to finishing the new buildings and oversee- 
ing the boys at work. A dear Christian lady had 
sent out money for seats in the new church, and he 
began to make them, and accomplished this task 
well, and the building was furnished with good, 
comfortable seats. Some of the boys, in writing to 
their friends who were away at work, said, " We 
have nice seats in the church and we do not become 
tired when we sit on them a long time." A good 
solid floor was also put in, and this was tarred and 
sanded. 

In November, 1911, we again had the privilege of 
welcoming Elder Steigerwald to Macha. He had 
lately returned from a furlough to America, and his 
visit was like getting a glimpse of the outside world. 
The Mission Board had sent out with him for 
Macha a large two-seated spring wagon with can- 
vas top, something just suited for this country and 
climate. It was a most welcome and useful addition 
to our outfit. Especially since there are roads all 
over the country to the principal villages, this was 
helpful in evangelistic work and in visiting the out- 
schools, which were on the increase. The old days 



354 AFRICA 

of laborious tramp were more or less in the past, and 
a new era seemed ushered in. Brother Steigerwald 
put the wagon together and added a long, useful 
box in front. Four oxen were then inspanned and 
we tested it. It is indeed a most satisfactory and 
comfortable conveyance and adds much to the en- 
joyment of the work. 

While the bishop was with us eleven more boys 
were baptized and received into church fellowship. 
The first ten were all standing true, so that our 
number had now increased to twenty-one. There 
were as yet no girls or women ready for baptism, 
but some were beginning to accept Christ as their 
Savior. 

As the new church was nearly completed at the 
time of his visit, it was thought advisable to dedicate 
this also before his return. He gave a most excel- 
lent sermon on the occasion, and we were all 
strengthened by his visit among us. 



CHAPTER NINE 
The Native 

The most interesting thing in Africa is the native him- 
self; the more I see him and study h'm the more I re- 
spect him. — Bishop J. C. Hartzell. 

I MOST heartily voice the sentiment expressed 
above. The study of the native is a most inter- 
esting one and worthy of the best minds of the 
age. The latent power and ability lying back of 
some of those crude exteriors is often marvelous, 
and the transformation often wrought by a few 
years of careful, sympathetic training far more than 
repays for all the labor expended. 

From what has already been given in the preced- 
ing pages, some idea of the native character may 
be gleaned, and yet it is impossible to give in such a 
book an adequate conception of the nature of the 
natives. In fact, the only way to know them is to 
live among them, and then one can not be sure that 
he has the correct idea. The subject is so many- 
sided, so elusive, and above all so changing that it is 
doubtful if any one can tell all there might be given. 

This twentieth century has produced three large 
volumes on the African native, which, in the esti- 
mation of the general public, seem to occupy a pre- 
eminent position among the many books continually 
written. I refer to " Thinking Black," by Daniel 
Crawford ; " White and Black in South Africa," by 
355 



356 AFRICA 

M. S. Evans; and "The Essential Kaffir," by Dud- 
ley Kidd. The first is the work of a missionary who 
has spent twenty-two unbroken years in the heart 
of the African Continent. The second is the work 
of a politician who has studied the native problem 
deeply and sympathetically from a governmental 
standpoint and has given his opinions and conclu- 
sions in a clear and convincing manner. The third 
work might be said to have been written from an 
independent standpoint, and is by many Europeans 
in South Africa considered the best thing written on 
the native. One who has lived long in Africa might 
be inclined to differ with any one or all of these 
writers in some points, but they are all excellent 
and well worthy of careful study. 

I was once speaking with an official who had had 
long experience in dealing with native problems, and 
whose opinions along these lines were sought after 
by others. I asked him, " Wherein do you think lies 
the chief difficulty in dealing with the native? " He 
replied somewhat as follows : 

" I think it lies in this : that the native so readily 
responds to civilization and improvement, that he 
comes up to our highest expectation along some 
lines; and then we, forgetting the generations of 
barbarism back of him, think he should measure up 
to our expectations along all lines. When he fails 
us at some particular point we become disgusted 
and do not give him credit for the advancement he 
has made." 

There seems to be much truth in the above state- 
ment and it has often been a help to me in dealing 
with natives. There is something else also which 



MACHA MISSION 357 

must not be lost sight of, and that is that as much 
as possible they should be dealt with as individuals. 

Too often the white man thinks the natives are all 
made over the same mould, and that the character- 
istics of one are the characteristics of all. He will 
often not take the trouble to study their individual- 
ity, and perhaps he thinks they do not have any. 
This is not surprising. Europeans often visit New 
York, remain a short time and then return home, 
thinking they know Americans, and can be found 
prating of how Americans do. If people come to 
such superficial conclusions about such a hetero- 
geneous mass of humanity as exists in the United 
States of America, it is not surprising that one or 
two natives in the eyes of many white people stand 
as a type of all Africans. 

The writer has had an opportunity of studying 
the natives of four or five tribes and has come into 
contact in various ways with several other tribes, 
yet she feels that her knowledge of the native char- 
acter is in many respects superficial and unsatis- 
factory. It has this to recommend it, however, that 
it is gleaned at first hand from many years' resi- 
dence among the raw and semi-civilized Africans. 

We have tried to show that the natives differ 
greatly in their ability to learn in school and out of 
it, in their habits of cleanliness, and in their readi- 
ness to receive the Gospel. As there was a large 
number of boys about us day by day, we found that 
they also greatly differed in disposition, as much so 
as white people, and it was necessary to study the 
characteristic of each in dealing with them. They 
soon understand if the missionary respects and 



358 AFRICA 

trusts them ; and they readily respond to such treat- 
ment and show by their conduct that such confi- 
dence is not misplaced. On the other hand, if they 
are censured for a fault, especially if they think the 
censure is unjust, they soon become careless and 
discouraged. On account of their secluded and 
simple life they, even the grown ones, are much 
like children when they first come into contact with 
white people, and they fail to understand why two 
persons should treat them differently — why two 
missionaries or two masters should not have the 
same way of doing things, the same generosity and 
the same dispositions. 

Child-life of these dark-skinned Africans is in 
some respects not so different from that of their 
white neighbors, unless it is in its greater freedom. 
Until it learns to walk, the child spends much of its 
time on its mother's or older sister's back, tied by a 
skin with its face toward the mother. In the early 
days at Matopo, Matshuba once inquired how our 
mother carried us when we were children. We said 
she carried us on her arms. He nodded his head 
sagely and exclaimed, " That explains it. That is 
why your noses are long and straight and ours are 
flat." 

On the mother's back the child sleeps and coos 
and observes what goes on about it. Here it bobs 
up and down as the mother handles the hoe, stamps 
or grinds the meal, or goes about her cooking. Here 
it takes rides as the mother goes after wood or wa- 
ter, or on long journeys to visit her friends. Occa- 
sionally she removes it from her back, straightens 
out its cramped limbs, feeds it, and then places it 



MACHA MISSION 



359 



V »o 




360 AFRICA 

on the ground to play. It has no garments to im- 
pede its progress, and so it soon learns to help it- 
self, crawls about and picks up earth or whatever 
comes in its way and eats it, no one objecting. 

As it becomes older the freedom is still greater, 
especially if it is a boy. There is no school to con- 
fine him, no hard lessons, no table manners, no daily 
washings, oftentimes. He runs, he hunts, he fishes, 
he plays often the long day through, together with 
the other little ones of the village. He has no clock 
to tell him the time of the day, except the great orb 
above him, and this he learns to read with surpris- 
ing accuracy. As it sinks in the west, he comes 
with his assegais and faithful dogs, and with a rabbit 
or some birds, carried on a stick across his shoulders, 
proudly displaying his prowess in hunting. He 
makes bows and arrows, popguns, plays hockey and 
other games, makes clay animals, wagons, and many 
other things. In fact, some native boys are genuine 
artists, and it is a pleasure to watch them deftly 
mould animals of various kinds. 

His sister will have her doll, made from a stick 
of wood, a corncob, or the like, and tie it on her 
back, like her mamma does. She plays at house- 
keeping, grinding, cooking, and imitating her elders, 
the same as her white sisters do. She is also expect- 
ed to help take care of the baby and younger mem- 
bers of the family, as her brother is often expected 
to herd the cattle or sheep, for there are no fences 
to confine them. All of these children, however, 
often suffer from hunger, cold, and nakedness, and 
worst of all they generally indulge in many evils 
which cling to them and greatly retard their prog- 



MACHA MISSION 361 

ress when light comes to them. They also become 
quite cruel and unfeeling about giving pain to ani- 
mals and birds. Every accessible bird's nest is 
robbed and the young birds, partly plucked, are 
thrown, often while still alive, on the live coals to 
roast and furnish them a dainty morsel. When a 
bird is secured there is not the least compunction 
about plucking off all the feathers without killing 
the bird. Once, when I was lying sick in bed, the 
four girls staying at the mission came in laughing 
and carrying the fledgling of a secretary bird. It 
was about the size of a half-grown chicken, and had 
all the feathers plucked from it while it was alive, 
and in this condition it was still blinking with its 
big, solemn-looking eyes. The brother of one had 
brought it in this condition, and to them it was a 
good joke to see it thus. 

As one enters the raw African's village and sees 
the native in the midst of his filthy and uncouth 
surroundings, lacking seemingly the very necessi- 
ties of life, he readily concludes that the African is 
lazy, shiftless, lacking in resources, and exceedingly 
dull or he would have advanced further in civiliza- 
tion even before the advent of the white man. To 
a certain extent this is true, for even the native, 
after he is somewhat civilized and looks back to 
where he came from, has been heard to exclaim, 
" We must be the dullest people on earth. Others 
could read and write and knew something of civili- 
zation, but we Africans knew nothing." We need, 
however, but to look back to our own Celtic and 
Teutonic ancestry to see barbarism and illiteracy. 

The African pagan cannot be said to be lacking in 



362 AFRICA 

resources, however. He wishes fire and he goes and 
selects two suitable twigs of wood. Into one he 
cuts a notch and the other he points. Placing the 
first on the ground, he inserts the point of the other 
into the notch and twirls it rapidly between his 
hands until it strikes fire. At the same time he has 
on hand some inflammable substance upon which he 
places the fire and soon has a blaze. He can thus 
roast his fish or meat. He wishes cooking vessels; 
and the woman goes to the river and procures the 
proper kind of clay, which she mixes with water 
and works until it is the required consistency. She 
then takes a piece, and with deft fingers moulds it 
into a circle, and places it on a stone or piece of 
broken crockery. She adds more and more clay, 
carefully shaping it with her hands as she proceeds 
upward until the top is finished. Then she puts it 
aside for a while until the clay sets and becomes 
slightly dried, after which she carefully removes 
and turns it and moulds the bottom, and when dried 
she burns it. In this way she makes earthen pots of 
many kinds and sizes, from the dainty small ones, 
which are often nicely glazed and artistically 
marked, to the large, heavy beer pots, holding ten or 
twelve gallons. 

Weapons for war, hunting, and domestic purposes 
are needed. The man goes to the hills and digs un- 
til he finds the iron ore. He smelts it and with the 
iron thus obtained makes axes, assegais, hoes, and 
other useful implements. He burns wood and makes 
charcoal for his forge. His bellows are made from the 
skins of animals and the pipes are clay tile ; and the 
anvil and hammers are also pieces of the iron he has 



MACHA MISSION 363 

obtained. He moulds, welds, shapes, and performs 
all the work of the ordinary blacksmith. If his hue 
wears out he will take the iron that is left and shape 
it into an assegai bristling with points. With three 
or four of these and a shield made of hide, he will 
go out to fight his neighbor, or perhaps he will have 
bow and steel-tipped arrows, which he dips in a 
poisonous substance to ensure their deadly work. 

Or, if it is in time of peace, he makes use of his 
assegais and his faithful dog and supplies his house- 
hold with meat. If he has been fortunate enough to 
secure an old blunderbuss of a gun, he tinkers at it 
till it works. He may not be able by law to buy any 
ammunition from the white man, or even lead to 
make bullets ; but he will manage in some way to 
obtain some ammunition. Perhaps the chance pos- 
session of a nail, or solder melted from a tin can, 
will, by a laborious process, be turned into bullets, 
for time is no object to him when working for him- 
self. In the same way he will secure some gun- 
powder or the ingredients for it, either by barter 
with his neighbors, who have been to town, or else- 
where. 

He wishes fish, and he will spear or catch them 
with hooks, or his wife will, with willowlike twigs 
and bark strings, make a long troughlike net, and 
as the water subsides she will supply her household 
with fish. Both fish and meat are dried and pre- 
served for future consumption. 

The native wishes a hut to live in. He goes to 
the forest and with the axe cuts down poles and 
carries them home, and with his hoe digs a trench 
into which he places them. With some forked 



364 



AFRICA 




MACHA MISSION 365 

sticks he makes a neat doorframe. Thin, willowy 
poles are also brought and split through the center. 
and one piece is placed on the outside and one inside 
of the poles of the hut, and with bark strings he 
firmly ties these together and thus secures the poles 
in their places. They are also fastened at the top 
in a similar manner, so that the walls of the hut 
are firmly fastened together, for -of course his hut is 
round. With his method of building he is wise in 
making it round, as it is more easily done and 
stronger when completed. The slender, straight 
poles for the roof are fastened together in the same 
way. These are often extended beyond the walls so 
as to form a veranda, which may or may not be en- 
closed. The wife takes her hoe or assegai and cuts 
grass to thatch the hut. She also takes some of the 
beautiful long grass, and with bark string makes a 
large mat to form a partition to separate the bed- 
room from the living-room. They need a bed and 
the man will procure forked sticks and fasten them 
firmly in the ground as bedposts, and on this with 
poles, reeds, bark string, and animal hides he makes 
a bed. Skins may also be used for blankets, and if 
they should be lacking in these they build a fire or 
place a pan of coals underneath or near the bed. 
Some Africans weave blankets and some make them 
out of the inner bark of the trees ; others purchase 
from traders. 

The native needs a chair, so he goes to the forest 
and, selecting a certain kind of tree, he cuts a suit- 
able block of wood. With his little axe he hews and 
cuts until from a solid block of wood he makes a 
very respectable-looking chair, or stool, varying in 



366 AFRICA 

height from six to fourteen inches. In the same 
way he makes spoons, stamping blocks, dishes, and 
other household articles. These he carefully oils to 
prevent cracking, and often colors and ornaments 
them. The natives along the large rivers make their 
own dugout canoes. A large gourd or earthen jar 
answers for a water bucket, one with a long handle 
for a dipper, a very large one with woven top is 
used for a churn, a long one as a butter receptable, 
and a very small one for a snuffbox. A small piece 
of iron, nicely shaped and beaten thin, is snuff spoon 
and handkerchief. 

A large flat stone, built in a clay receptacle with 
an earthen jar at the end, is the mill, and on this 
another stone is used to grind. The wife needs 
baskets. She procures palm leaves, bark string, 
reeds, and willows and makes baskets of various 
kinds : a flat one for a sieve, dainty little ones for 
plates for their stiff porridge, larger ones for grain, 
and still larger ones for reaping. She also makes 
mats of various kinds. Skins of animals do for 
clothing. They are so confident that this is the 
native invention, that one of the boys, in reading of 
the garments of our first parents, declared they 
must have been black because they wore skins. The 
girls* loincloth is made of bark string. Their clay 
pipes are often quite artistically made, and so hard 
that it is difficult to distinguish them from metal. 

In all of these things just mentioned the native is 
in no way dependent upon the European; they are 
of his own invention and manufacture, except the 
rifle. It is not to be supposed that any one native 
makes all the various articles. There are black- 



MACHA MISSION 367 

smiths, potters, basketmakers, and workers in wood, 
and the rest barter for or buy the things they need. 

Given various colored beads, some fine and some 
heavy wire, a few buttons, shells, and ivory rings, 
and they are adept at adorning the body, at least 
according to the native's idea of beauty. In some 
respects the barbarous African's idea of ornamenta- 
tion does not differ materially from that of her white 
sisters, the difference being one of degree rather 
than of kind. The American beauty thinks one or 
two strings of beads around her neck are quite the 
proper thing, and add to her charm. The African 
beauty will tell you that if one or two are nice, four 
or five are nicer. It is the same with the bracelets ; 
the American belle is pleased with one or two on 
her wrists. The African is likewise, but she is bet- 
ter pleased with a dozen, only she adds utility to 
beauty and thinks that a lot of heavy rings around 
her wrists or ankles add to their strength and give 
her corresponding value in the eyes of the opposite 
sex. Then too she will tell you that her god told 
her to adorn herself thus, which is doubtless true. 

What has been said of inventive ability applies 
more or less to all pagan Africans, although in dif- 
ferent sections of the country they differ somewhat 
in their work. The Batonga, by whom we are sur- 
rounded, do not at present remove the iron from the 
ore, but there are many blacksmiths among them, 
and according to some of the old natives they were 
accustomed to smelt the ore. There are certainly 
evidences of iron workings in this part of the coun- 
try. Brother Taylor made inquiry of an old native 
in reference to these workings. He said that many 



368 AFRICA 

years ago the Batonga used to work them and thus 
obtain their own iron. Then their Barotse conquer- 
ors came and killed all the iron workers and told 
them to come to the Barotse and purchase their iron. 
No doubt this was done to weaken them in battle. 
(See 1 Samuel 13: 19-22.) In this instance the 
smiths remained, but they go to the Barotse to pur- 
chase hoes and pig iron. Since the old ones were 
killed, the younger generation were afraid to smelt 
the ore. 

All the Africans brew their own beer. They also 
grow tobacco, which they both smoke and snuff, 
and they grow a kind of hemp which they smoke. 
Of course they raise their own food, and before the 
arrival of the white man some even procured their 
own salt. 

As to the general character of the raw natives — 
for it is of them we are writing — we hesitate some- 
times to tell what we do know. But the missionary, 
however much he may think of the Africans and 
enjoy his work among them, cannot, dare not, be 
blind to their faults. It has been said of them that 
they are naturally liars, thieves, and harlots; a hard 
saying, truly, but there is a measure of truth in it. 
As a people there is little or no reliance to be placed 
on their word, especially when they desire to shield 
themselves, their relatives, or even their tribes. 
Possibly a native may tell an untruth for the mere 
pleasure of it. This habit is so inbred that it is dif- 
ficult to overcome it; and yet by careful religious 
training, and the power of the Holy Spirit, one is 
frequently surprised at the progress they make in 
speaking the truth under very trying conditions — 



MACHA MISSION 369 

that is, when they are led to see the evil of the op- 
posite eourse. 

Thieving is probably not so prominent, but it 
exists, not only, as some affirm, among the half- 
civilized, but also among the raw heathen. Every 
missionary, who has seen heathen accepting the 
Light and confessing their past, can testify to the 
truthfulness of this statement. Many instances of 
stealing among them can be cited. I was told by a 
farmer, who was living in the midst of pagan Afri- 
cans, untouched by civilization or the Gospel, that 
one year he employed about 100 women to gather 
his corn. He suspected them of stealing, but said 
nothing until one evening, just as they were starting 
for home, he suddenly rode in among them and 
frightened them. The corn which they had care- 
fully concealed about them was scattered in all di- 
rections. 

Stealing, however, is not as common as lying ; for 
while there does not seem to be a strong public 
sentiment against the latter, there is against the for- 
mer, for the protection of their property. Those 
who flagrantly disregard this are branded as thieves 
and are sometimes punished. I know one native 
who was required by his heathen neighbors to pay 
ten hoes for visiting their grain bins. Generally, 
however, grain, either in the gardens or in the gran- 
aries, is not disturbed by others, and one may allow 
property to remain exposed year after year and it 
not be disturbed. The white man's law against 
thieving greatly assists the native in the enforce- 
ment of his law. We have found some very trust- 
worthy natives, and none who have been with us 



370 AFRICA 

any length of time have proven dishonest, and they 
are frequently sent to carry sums of money without 
in any way tampering with it. 

As to other forms of vice what shall one say? One 
European has been heard to exclaim that " their 
morals are as black as their faces." That they are 
dark no one can deny, for from childhood up vice 
in many forms is common. It could scarcely be 
otherwise when one considers the filth and degrada- 
tion of their surroundings, where a number are 
crowded like so many animals into a filthy hut, over- 
run with vermin and parasites of all kinds. Some 
will tell you that there are none pure. It is true that 
the lives they lead give little opportunity for any- 
thing elevating. Then too their lives are open to 
the general gaze; nothing is hid. 

But take the modern city ; dig it up from the foun- 
dation ; open all its cesspools of infamy, crime, and 
debauchery, and such a stench will ascend to heaven 
that everyone beholding will cry out, " Babylon, the 
mother of harlots and abominations of the earth ! " 
And yet this is the boasted twentieth-century civili- 
zation. Shall we, then, say that there are no Chris- 
tians in that city, or that there are none living good 
moral lives who do not profess Christ? God forbid! 
All honor to the noble band of men and women in 
our cities who, in the midst of fearful odds, are liv- 
ing upright lives and helping their fellow-men. 

I believe I can safely say, from what I have seen 
and learned of the inner life of the native, that in 
dark, heathen Africa, even before the light of the 
Gospel penetrates, there are those who are moral 
and pure, although the number is small. Then take 



MACHA MISSION 371 

the Christian natives; the life of many a one is a 
living rebuke to some who decry mission work, and 
it is too often because they are a living rebuke, that 
they are so fiercely hated by some Europeans. Peo- 
ple usually find what they are looking for, and in 
Africa is no exception. 



CHAPTER TEN 
The Native — Continued 

BEGGARS the Africans naturally are, and 
when the white man comes among them 
they are always eager to obtain all they can 
for nothing. They beg of one another; then why 
should they not beg of the white man, whose pock- 
ets are supposed to be full of money? Then too 
some of them think the white man does not need 
money to buy food, clothing, and other goods from 
the store. They will say, " You do not need money 
to buy things. You just write something on a piece 
of paper and send it to Bulawayo and the goods 
come." Experience has taught us that the greatest 
good one can do the native is to make him work or 
pay for everything he receives, unless it should be 
during a case of sickness or helplessness. 

It is a common expression that the African is 
lazy; and yet even this must be accepted with a re- 
serve and an understanding of his surroundings. 
Aside from the effect of the climate, much of their 
indolence and indifference is due to their smoking 
of hemp, a narcotic drug, similar to the hashish of 
eastern countries. This they grow, and it is a com- 
mon practice for the older, and for even young boys, 
to smoke it. It seems to sap their very life and take 
away all the ambition to better their condition. Yet 
the native can and does work even in his home, 
372 



MACHA MISSION 373 

when occasion demands. During the digging and 
growing season they are found out in their gardens, 
which are generally at a distance from the villages, 
from early morning until late at night, hoeing and 
watching their crops to protect them from the rav- 
ages of the animals and birds. During the hottest 
part of the day they generally stop for a time to 
rest and cook. It is useless to attempt much evan- 
gelistic work during this season of the year, except 
at night, for the villages are about deserted during 
the day. 

They may, during the dry season, work for Euro- 
peans, but with some a short time of such work suf- 
fices, as their wants are few. As one fellow ex- 
pressed it : "I have now sufficient money to pay my 
taxes. I only want to work long enough to earn 
money to buy a blanket and then my needs are all 
supplied." If they have food on hand, that is the 
extent of the ambition of some natives. They feel 
that then, during the dry season, or winter, they are 
entitled to rest, hunt, smoke, drink beer and palaver. 

Frequently, however, they must build in the dry 
season, for one of their huts in this ant-ridden coun- 
try lasts only a short time — perhaps two or three 
years — and then another must be built. This is no 
small task, but it is usually postponed until near the 
rainy season. In order to build, the native is obliged 
to make frequent trips to the forest to procure suit- 
able poles and bark strings, all of which he must car- 
ry on his shoulders. His wife too is inclined to 
postpone cutting the thatch grass until it is nearly 
all burnt, and then it requires much more labor to 
find enough thatch than if she had done the work 



374 AFRICA 

at the proper time. The rain usually is threatening, 
or even the first has fallen before the man begins 
the actual building, and then he and his neighbors 
hurry and put up the huts after a fashion. When 
asked why he does not build earlier in the season he 
naively exclaims, " Oh ! I leave it until the rains 
come, so I must hurry and build it." In other words, 
he puts it off until he is forced to do it, willy-nilly. 
As a rule the native is never in a hurry ; he always 
performs his work deliberately. That is character- 
istic of the country, or climate, rather than of the 
individual, because no one in Africa seems to be in 
a hurry. We had our first lesson in this on the 
threshold of the continent. Just after we had 
reached Cape Town and had rented rooms, some 
groceries were bought and ordered to be sent to 
the house. They were very slow in coming, and we 
mentioned the fact to an American lady who had 
resided at Cape Town five years. She replied, " We 
are all slow in Africa, and in a few years you will 
become slow too." I cannot say that this has be- 
come true of all our missionaries, but this is the gen- 
eral effect of the country. The atmosphere, the heat, 
and the diseases, all have much influence on a per- 
son. To hurry and violently exert the body in or- 
der to complete a piece of work often brings on an 
attack of fever. Horses, mules, oxen, and donkeys 
are not as hardy as in temperate climates, and it re- 
quires several times the number to do the same 
amount of work, so that it need not surprise one 
that the natives, who, as far back as they know, 
have lived amid such surroundings, should be slow 
and indolent. 



MACHA MISSION 375 

There are three natives in our nearest village, all 

able-bodied men of about 40 or 45 years of age. 
Two of them have four wives and one has three. 
Since the hut tax is ten shillings a hut, that means 
that one must pay thirty shillings (nearly $7.50) tax 
per year, and the other two forty shillings (nearly 
$10). They are all intelligent-looking natives. Two 
of them have been government messengers and 
know something of European life. Now they are 
at home year after year, for they seldom go away 
to work, because they are too lazy. How they se- 
cure their hut tax is often a query, and about the 
only solution that seems possible is that they beg 
some here and some there of natives who go away 
to work, and they may occasionally have a little 
grain to sell. Often they are short of food for them- 
selves and their families. One of them at least has 
had his family out on the veldt, living on fruit and 
roots and what game he could procure, for two 
months at a time. These are extreme cases, and one 
must feel sorry for the women and children when 
crops fail, for they at least cannot go among the 
Europeans for work. 

The natives differ greatly among themselves in 
diligence and training as well as in character and 
morality. While there are always some improvi- 
dent ones, who live on the charity of their neighbors, 
yet some are exceedingly industrious the entire 
year. After their grain has been cared for they go 
to the towns to work and earn money, buy cattle 
and sheep, and in general enrich themselves. Work- 
ers in wood are always busy making articles to sell 
to their neighbors, and other artizans do likewise. 



376 AFRICA 

The women also show the same difference of char- 
acter. Some are always busy and forehanded with 
their gardens, their grass cutting, and cutting and 
carrying firewood to stow it away before the rains 
come. The same difference is to be found in the 
training of families. 

In some of the homes the children are well trained 
along industrial lines, according to the native idea 
of training. The parents require them to work and 
bear a certain amount of responsibility in providing 
for the family and in caring for the herds. For in- 
stance, a number of our best boys came from a vil- 
lage called Mianda. They proved very helpful and 
skillful in work and became some of our best build- 
ers and teachers. Their parents were generally con- 
siderate when we had dealings with them. Some- 
times we had as many as ten boys at once from that 
one small village, and the father of some would even 
help to see about his herds so that his children 
might attend school. If a boy was needed at home 
to help build or herd, the father would tell for just 
how long he was needed, and we might be sure that 
he would send the boy back at the expiration of that 
time. The children of this village were required 
to be obedient and work while at home, otherwise 
they were denied food. There were other similar 
homes. In the villages, even before Christianity en- 
ters, the natives look upon some of the customs of 
their tribes in various ways. Where there are large 
villages and many people, dances and carousals are 
frequent occurrences and much immorality results. 
Some of the parents forbid their children frequent- 



MACHA MISSION 377 

ing these places of amusement on account of the 
immorality. 

Again, from some villages boys would come to 
the mission, stay only a few days and then leave, 
because they were obliged to perform a certain 
amount of work daily. We did not try to coax them 
to remain, for we preferred to keep only those who 
were willing to work — the others seldom amount to 
anything. Go into the houses of some such boys, 
and one would see them lying about, not willing to 
herd, much less dig. Perhaps the father will say, 
" Go and see about those sheep." The boy pays no 
attention to the command. The mother comes and 
scolds him and seeks to make him work, but with no 
better result; yet when food is prepared he is the 
first one to be around the pot and no one forbids 
him. From these instances it can be readily seen 
that African family training does not differ ma- 
terially from European or American. 

In many of the villages there are always some 
who desire to improve themselves and better their 
conditions. They have their gardens, but, work as 
they may with their primitive little hoes, they can- 
not make much headway ; or there may be a drought 
and famine is the result. They go away and work 
for a time, and come home with a supply of clothing 
and some money. They come to their dirty homes 
and filthy surroundings, and their friends and rela- 
tives try to get as much of their clothing and money 
as possible. They gradually become more and more 
sordid in appearance, their clothing disappears, and 
we become disgusted with them for so soon leaving 
behind the outward marks of civilization. But how 



378 AFRICA 

many months could we live their home life and be 
presentable in appearance? 

Let us take Charlie as an example. He, with a 
number of other boys, went to Southern Rhodesia 
to work on a farm. He remained a year and re- 
ceived fifteen shillings ($3.60) per month, and he 
had to pay his way down and back on the train. He 
came home at the end of the year with a nice supply 
of new clothing and some money, and he looked as 
clean and well-dressed as a European when he came 
to Church on Sunday. He is a Christian boy and is 
trying to do what is right. Soon after his return 
home, his father, who is one of the three lazy men I 
mentioned, and extremely filthy in appearance, be- 
gan wearing Charlie's clothes. First it was a shirt 
and a piece of calico ; then another garment ; then his 
nice grey coat. Charlie gave his little naked brother 
one of his shirts. He wished to marry, and this took 
all of his money. In a few months he presented 
quite a different appearance from what he did on his 
return home from Bulawayo, and we began to 
blame him, at least in our minds, and say that he 
should not allow himself to degenerate in this way. 
But most of his clothing is gone and his money is 
gone ; he does not even have sufficient with which to 
purchase soap, so that he may wash the remaining 
clothing. 

Says one, " He should keep at work and not come 
and sit down in his home." The work takes him away 
from home, and his wages are low, so that he must 
keep at it continually in order to maintain appear- 
ances. May he not have any home life at all? It is 
a perplexing problem, and were we forced to take 



MACHA MISSION 379 

his place we would no doubt conclude that the boy 
does remarkably well under the circumstances. 
While at home he works in his gardens and does 
what he can find to do for the white men near his 
home ; then, as his needs increase, he again goes to 
Bulawayo to begin again. This is an actual occur- 
rence and typical of many others. He may conclude 
to have no home life, but keep up the semblance of 
civilization, hang about the towns, and imitate many 
evils surrounding him, and in the end prove a great- 
er menace to society and to the country than if he 
would, at least part of the time, live in his own home 
in a more primitive manner. Again, if he depends 
too much on the stores of the traders, he ceases to 
manufacture articles for himself, so that if he does 
finally settle down for himself, tired of the struggle, 
he is often more helpless than at first, because he 
cannot make the articles which his father made. 

Is the native provident? or does he live from hand 
to mouth? Yes and no. I heard a man who traded 
with the natives say that in one year he bought 
about 1,000 bags of grain from them, giving in ex- 
change goods from his store. Before the next crop 
was harvested, he had sold about all the grain back 
to them, at of course quite an advance in price. I 
have seen, near our own doors, natives sell to Euro- 
pean traders grain, either for money or goods, from 
$1.25 to $2.50 for a two-hundred-pound bag and buy 
it back later in the same season for from $6 to $7 
per bag. But these are extreme cases. In the latter 
instance a year of plenty was followed by a year of 
drought, and the natives were far from markets and 
at the mercy of local traders. Many of the natives 



380 AFRICA 

had put in their granaries what would have tided 
them over an ordinary season, but the prolonged 
drought led them to want. Others had a compara- 
tively poor crop the previous year and this caused a 
scarcity. Some did not need to buy at all, as they 
always look in advance for such emergencies and 
do not sell their surplus until certain of a new crop. 
Such natives, when they do sell, often sell to their 
native neighbors or exchange their grain for cattle. 
Such are generally very thrifty, while there are al- 
ways some who are in want. In this too it may be 
seen that they are not unlike other people. 

In fact, the Batonga taught their missionaries 
some lessons in caring for grain. We found that 
they store their corn in the grain bins without re- 
moving all the husks, and they shell it as they need 
it or near the end of the season. With the Kafir 
corn they do the same way, cutting off the heads 
and putting it away without threshing it. This was 
so different from the thrifty Matabele, who care- 
fully shelled and threshed their grain, that the first 
time we visited one of the villages and saw their 
method we thought, " How lazy ! We must teach 
them how to do their work properly." We soon 
discovered that in this hot climate the shelled corn 
was soon weevil-eaten, and that the shelled Kafir 
corn was almost ground to meal before the year 
ended. Now we are inclined to imitate the natives 
in this respect rather than they us. It shows too 
that the native adapts himself to the country and 
climatic conditions. 

The African is a genuine lover of nature. He en- 
joys being out in the open air; he loves the bright 



MACHA MISSION 381 

rays of the sun. Everything around him is preg- 
nant with meaning. Nature is his school, and he 
knows the habits of every beast, bird, or insect. In 
a measure he appreciates and loves the beautiful, 
even though at first he may smile at the white man's 
love for flowers. One day I inquired of an old 
heathen woman, who never came to Church, why 
they moved their kraal from the rock-bound place 
in which it had been, to the open plain. Her with- 
ered face brightened up, as with a sweep of her arm 
she took in the magnificent scene before her and 
exclaimed, " Is not that beautiful? " The native too 
shows good taste in the selection of clothing after 
he has become accustomed to civilized ways. We 
are inclined to think of them as being especially 
partial to bright colors. A few are, but my expe- 
rience is that the majority are not. Many of the 
boys especially soon discard the native stores, where 
cheap apparel is sold, and frequent the stores for 
Europeans. 

They love music and have several crude musical 
instruments. Their songs are generally of war, love, 
marriage, and the chase. They also have some 
songs suitable to their work. They of course have 
good voices for singing, and can be easily trained to 
sing well. They have their legends, their poetry,, 
proverb's, and animal stories. 

Natives, although very generous among them- 
selves, are not inclined to be so to white people ; 
perhaps because white people have not as a rule 
treated them so generously. If the native wishes to 
sell anything and is greatly in need of the money or 
clothing, he will often consent to sell for almost any 



382 AFRICA 

price. It is the same with work ; he will work very 
cheaply if he is eager to work. 

On the other hand, if the need is on the part of 
the buyer, he will ask a very high price for grain or 
other articles and absolutely refuse to give for less, 
especially if the buyer is an European. With work 
it is the same. Even boys, after they have received 
a certain amount of education and religious train- 
ing, are very slow to accept the idea that they should 
do anything for the white man from a sense of duty. 
There are doubtless some very good reasons for this. 
They, however, respect a master who is kind but 
firm, and it is best not to coax them. If they find 
that we are not dependent upon them, and can get 
along without them, they are more likely to con- 
clude that they cannot get along without us. 

The native is said to be lacking in gratitude to his 
benefactor, and there is some truth in this. One of- 
ten spends much time and labor to train him along 
certain lines, with the hope that he will be of gen- 
uine service in the future. Perhaps about the time 
he is able to take the place for which he is fitted, he 
will often turn and, rejecting his benefactor, give 
the benefit of his training to some one who can re- 
munerate him better. Naturally the missionary, or 
.master, whichever it may be, feels grieved at this 
lack of gratitude. Too often, perhaps, the fault is 
on both sides, and we do not give him credit for the 
help he has been to us. Then too it is difficult to 
put ourselves in his place and see matters from his 
point of view. He has no idea of the value of our 
time or training and we sometimes spoil him in the 
beginning. Would not the best and safest way for 



MACHA MISSION 383 

the good of the native be to require him to earn his 
way as he goes? Let him always work sufficiently, 
if possible, to pay for the trouble it takes to teach 
him, whether in school or in industrial work, or in 
work pay him small wages at first and increase as 
he becomes more and more proficient. It may re- 
quire a little of his time, but it has not spoiled him, 
and if he should conclude to go at any time, he has 
altogether or nearly paid his way in kind and one is 
none the loser. 

The native, however, can, and many of them do, 
improve greatly along this line after they have be- 
come Christians. While naturally they are not in- 
clined to be disinterested and generous to the white 
people, yet many of them become so and display a 
remarkable spirit of self-sacrifice in the Lord's serv- 
ice. Many teach year after year at a far lower sal- 
ary than they could obtain elsewhere; and, not only 
in teaching but in other lines of labor requiring 
skill, they will work for the Lord for a much lower 
wage than they could procure elsewhere, as all of 
our missionaries can testify. Then too many of 
them often give largely of their penury for the ad- 
vancement of the cause of Christ. 

I was one day touched by the spirit manifested by 
a big fellow. He had come to the missionaries des- 
titute of clothing, but anxious for an education. He 
was a hard-headed chap, both in school and out, and 
ran up against many hard places before he became 
pliable. He received, like the rest, a little money at 
the end of each term, but since he was in school 
three and one-half hours each day, his time for work 
was limited and his pay necessarily small. He, how- 



384 AFRICA 

ever, stayed at the mission and gradually obtained 
some clothing and money to pay his taxes. He also 
began to accept Christ as his Savior and from being 
a proud, obstinate fellow, he became more and more 
docile. At one time the amount coming to him was 
ten shillings ($2.40). His wardrobe was still scanty, 
but he took out for himself one shilling of the money 
received and brought the remaining nine shillings 
and said, " Here, I want to give this to the Lord." 

Giving the Gospel to the natives in their villages, 
while it is generally a pleasure to the missionary, is 
not always an easy task. They soon learn to be 
very quiet and respectful in the church, enter quiet- 
ly,, take their places and go through all the outward 
forms of service, and also leave without being noisy 
or talking, perhaps because they are requested to 
do so. But when one goes out into their villages, 
even to the best of them, there are many side issues. 
The chief, if he is present and worthy "the name, 
will aid in keeping order, and even if he is not pres- 
ent, the majority may sit quietly and seem to be 
listening; but perhaps the cattle get at the granaries 
and must be driven away, or the chickens go into 
the huts and eat the meal and must be watched ; 
perhaps new ones are continually coming and must 
be noticed and greeted, if they are allowed to do so. 
Then the babies are so interesting to their mothers 
or those near them, or perhaps there is a mother 
with an older child at her side, and she does not 
wish to lose any time; so, during her enforced lei- 
sure, she is sedulously examining the child's head 
or ornaments for parasites. Perhaps over there, 
outside the hut door, is a man who has not had time 



MACHA MISSION 385 

to make his morning- toilet, so he concludes to 
spend the time in dressing the long locks of hair 
around the top of his head. 

One does not like to stop and reprove them, be- 
cause the rest seem attentive and perhaps those are 
also listening, for the work they are engaged in is 
such a common one! Again, all may seem atten- 
tive and the missionary rejoices that the seed is 
falling into well-prepared soil, and he continues 
eager to drive the truth home to their hearts. He 
pauses to let it sink in — when lo! some one will 
make a remark wholly irrelevant to the subject he 
seeks to impress upon their minds ; it may be in 
reference to some article of clothing he is wearing 
or some of their own needs. His enthusiasm cools, 
for he perceives that some, and 'perhaps many, have 
paid little attention to the message. 

Again, one may be speaking, and the chief or 
headman repeats what has been said, or he may ask 
a pertinent question, the answer to which brings 
out other questions, which serve to elucidate the 
subject. The other natives are led to listen; and 
while the discourse turns to be almost a conversa- 
tion between the speaker and this one, yet the mis- 
sionary goes away feeling that they have at least 
understood and perhaps have received some light. 
Sometimes, again, one may have only a few listeners 
and go away thinking nothing has been accom- 
plished, but God has taken care of the seed sown. 

I remember being out once with one of the Chris- 
tian boys. We came to a garden where a woman 
and her daughter were working, and we sat and 
talked with them about Christ our Savior. This 



386 AFRICA 

was the first time they had had an opportunity to 
hear. Years passed and the incident was about for- 
gotten by both the Christian native and myself. 
That girl later, out of much tribulation found her 
way into the Kingdom. Her father was a hardened 
old heathen, and had sold her to an old man. He 
was going to force her to marry the old man, but 
she escaped and fled to Matopo Mission where, with 
Elder Steigerwald's help, she was set free. She re- 
turned home, and later an European offered oxen 
and wagon to her father for her. She steadfastly 
refused and kept herself pure. Today she is the 
wife of a native evangelist and one of our most 
valued helpers. She says her first knowledge of 
Christ was at that little meeting in the garden, 
where she and her mother were working, and her 
present husband and I stopped to speak with them. 



CHAPTER ELEVEN 
Some of Their Religious Ideas 

Nevertheless He left not Himself without witness, in 
that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and 
fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and glad- 
ness. — Acts 14: 17. 

THE above quotation may apply to the Afri- 
can's idea of God in general, but it seems 
especially applicable to the Batonga and 
kindred tribes. Among these the word for God and 
rain are one and the same, Leza. This does not 
necessarily imply that they have no conception of 
God apart from the Rainmaker, but that conception 
is closely allied to rain and kindred elements in 
nature. They understand the name Mubumbi 
(Moulder or Creator) and Chilenga (Originator of 
Customs), but when speaking of the earth and vege- 
tation, they will say, " Leza [God] made these 
things, because when leza [rain] comes, grass and 
vegetation spring up and grow, so Leza made 
them." 

Of course their conception of Him, like that of 
all Africans, is very remote. He is their Creator, 
but to approach unto Him is like reaching out in the 
dark, in a vague sort of way, after something more 
powerful than themselves, something or some one 
they know not what. In times of great trouble, as 
in famine, fear, or when there is an earthquake or 
387 



388 AFRICA 

an eclipse, they will worship God, not necessarily 
by word of mouth, but by clapping their hands in 
reverence. They generally, however, like the Mata- 
bele, feel that they cannot approach God. He is too 
great and terrible, so they approach Him through 
mediators, such as departed spirits, prophets, and 
prophetesses. 

Mr. Eddy, in " India Awakening," says: " Joined 
with these is the worship of dead parents, where 
spirits are dependent on their survivors for com- 
forts, and who will avenge neglect or any deviation 
from custom. This belief is (1) a religion of fear, 
since most spirits are malicious ; (2) a religion di- 
vorced from ethics, since spirits have no regard for 
moral ideas; (3) a religion of custom, since the wor- 
ship rests on tradition and the spirits are apt to 
punish all departure from custom." This statement 
in reference to India can be as truthfully said of the 
pagan African. 

The Batonga, many of them, build roofs or small 
huts over the graves of their dead. In them they 
will place skulls of animals and some of the proper- 
ty of the deceased. Their descendants come to this 
place, bringing beer and even water, and pour it out 
upon the grave in worship. If one has been consid- 
ered powerful while alive, has been a great rain- 
maker, many people will gather around his grave 
in time of drought and pray for rain. 

They have also their living prophetesses and 
prophets, to whom they turn in times of need. These 
claim that the soul of some powerful deceased one 
has entered them and bequeathed to them its power. 
In times of drought these prophetesses — for they 



MACHA MISSION 389 

arc generally women — multiply rapidly. In a vil- 
lage of about thirty-five huts, near us, there were 
said to be ten prophetesses during the drought two 
years ago. The prophetic term of some of them is 
often very short, much depending on their seeming 
success as rainmakers. Sometimes the prophetess 
will make no claim for herself, but her friends will 
make it for her. The prophetesses are very often 
immoral characters. 

Day after day people will come to the prophetess, 
as the time for planting draws near, bringing their 
presents of grain or money and their seed, that she 
may bless it and insure good crops. They come, 
sit down, reverentially clapping their bands and be- 
seeching her aid. The hunter brings his gun, to 
receive medicine which will insure him prowess in 
hunting; a man comes asking for medicine for his 
sick wife, who is bewitched, and this medicine is to 
ward off the witchery. There comes from afar an 
old woman, who claims to have the power of mak- 
ing their grain last a long time by putting a certain 
medicine into it when cooking. She is believed and 
the medicine is bought and put into the food, and 
she rejoices in her pay. These heathens are always 
very gullible and readily purchase anything which 
appears conducive to their own interests. 

One day I saw a number of natives going to a 
village to worship a rainmaker, so I concluded to 
go also and see what they did, for it was a village 
near the mission where the Gospel had often been 
proclaimed. As I reached the place the prophetess 
was in her hut, but a number of women and girls 
were outside, clapping their hands in worship. Their 



390 AFRICA 

faces were familiar to me, and I could not avoid 
feeling sad to see how little influence the Gospel 
had thus far had on their lives. Finally the proph- 
etess came out of her hut and was received with 
more clapping of the hands. She was a large, 
powerful-looking woman and gave orders like a 
queen, nor was she unqueenly in appearance. 
The worshipers were seated around a large hole or 
excavation in the earth, and had several dishes of 
grain which they had brought. They were told to 
sort the grain, selecting only the best and whitest; 
and I am informed that some of the grain, together 
with incantations, is dropped into the opening in 
the earth, but this I did not see. She came and 
greeted me and spoke a few words and then entered 
her hut. A man came to her for medicine for his 
sick wife, who was bewitched, and others went to 
consult with her. Finally I went to the door of her 
hut and spoke with her, inquiring why these people 
were worshiping. She said: 

" They want rain. The spirit of a rainmaker who 
died a long, long time ago entered into me and they 
come for me to make it rain." 

Knowing them so well, and being jealous for Him 
Whose ambassador I was, I asked, " Do you really 
mean to say that you can cause rain? " 

Regarding me quite earnestly for a time she fi- 
nally said, " No, I cannot cause rain." 

" Why then are you deceiving the people and pre- 
tending that you can? God only can produce rain." 

" Yes," she replied, " He alone can make it rain." 

" Then come and tell the people that He only can 
cause it to rain and that they should worship Him." 



MACHA MISSION 391 

She willingly complied, and coming out of her 
hut. she spoke to them very earnestly, telling them 
to worship God, as He alone could cause rain. As 
she claimed to be only an intercessor, and no doubt 
did this to please me, it did not necessarily inter- 
fere with her role as rainmaker. Even the most 
pagan among them acknowledge Leza (God) as 
the Rainmaker, and these only as His messengers. 
Since the people so readily transfer their worship 
from one to another, they also freely come to the 
missionaries to have them pray for rain. They 
have done this at Macha, and the Lord has gracious- 
ly answered the prayers of His servants. This, 
however, does not seem to bring the native any 
nearer to repentance and God, and one feels loath 
to heed their request, except in the case of Chris- 
tian natives. 

With the Batonga, wailing for the dead seems to 
be essentially a religious requirement, and it is most 
religiously observed, so we venture to include it as 
a part of their religion. When the news of a death 
reaches a village, the people begin to wail at once, 
especially if they be relatives, and continue to do so 
while they are moving about, putting away their 
grain, baskets, and the few utensils they own, for 
a stay of several days. They may be heard wailing 
as they pass on their way out of their village to go 
to that of the dead. In a short time perhaps the 
entire village is deserted. We were once camping 
near a village of fifty huts, and news came that a 
relative had died at a mine near Bulawayo. In a 
few minutes nearly all the inhabitants were on their 
way to the house of mourning; for, although the 



392 AFRICA 

body was buried about four hundred miles distant, 
they firmly believed that his spirit returned to his 
home and took cognizance of all they did. If a na- 
tive is traveling along a path, and word comes to 
him of the death of a relative, he will begin wailing 
at once, and turning around proceed to the place of 
mourning. 

Perhaps the reader will more fully understand 
what an African funeral is if he in mind accom- 
panies us to one. Apuleni's father had been work- 
ing in a mine in Southern Rhodesia. He became 
quite sick there and was brought home to die. We 
visited his home, and found that they had taken 
him to a temporary hut at some distance from the 
village. It is a very common practice for them to 
do this, especially if one is near death's door. His 
wife and daughters are near him, doing all they can 
to relieve his sufferings. His lungs are diseased and 
it is likely to prove fatal. 

One evening word comes to the boy that his fa- 
ther has died. He immediately goes home, while 
Sister Engle and I conclude to go and see him 
buried. We have seen the wailings, but not the 
interment. It is already dark when the word comes, 
so we take the lantern and together with several 
schoolboys start for the village. We all go single 
file along the path for nearly three-fourths of a mile, 
down the hill, across the river, which is dry at this 
season. The night is quite dark and only lighted up 
by the flame of the lantern. Up the hill we go, on 
the opposite side, for over a fourth of a mile to the 
village. All along the path the sound of wailing 
comes to our ears. Sometimes it subsides and then 



MACHA MISSION 393 

becomes more violent than ever. Before death the 
deceased has been brought back to his hut, and as 
we enter the village the men are sitting around in 
groups outside and are quiet. We proceed to the hut 

of nit turning", which is crowded with women and is 
dark, save for the light of the fire in the center, the 
flickering flames of which ever and anon light up 
the weird scene. 

We stoop down and enter the low door. It is so 
crowded and hot that farther progress seems im- 
possible, and yet we manage to work our way 
among the crowd, seated or standing and keeping 
up their doleful wail. Our object is twofold: We 
wish to see, and also to show our sympathy for the 
boy who has been with us so long and is a Chris- 
tian, and we desire to see the sorrowing wife and 
daughters, for we know them well and believe that 
they will appreciate our presence and words of con- 
dolence. We finally reach the partition which ex- 
tends over halfway across the hut. Near this lies a 
bundle about four or five feet long. It is a some- 
what shapeless mass, wrapped with a number of 
layers of blankets and carefully tied. In the fitful 
light one might easily mistake it for a bundle of 
clothes, but we know without asking that this is the 
body of the deceased ; for around it are seated the 
wife and daughters weeping bitterly, and lovingly 
] tatting the wrapping of the body. The rest of the 
women are mingling their tears with those of the 
relatives. We stoop and speak a few words of com- 
fort to the wife, but it is little we can give; he had 
frequently heard of Christ, but refused to accept 
Him. As the fire flames up we can see Apuleni 



394 . AFRICA 

standing in the shadow, and he too is weeping bit- 
terly, but more quietly. The boys who came with 
us make their way through the throng and going to 
him mingle their tears with his, and our own eyes 
overflow at the sight. 

But this crowded hut, without windows or means 
of ventilation and with a hot fire, is unbearable, so 
we go outside, the boys following. Everyone on 
the outside is quiet or speaking in low tones. Sis- 
ter Engle and I are given blocks of wood for chairs. 
From one of the groups of men the chief, Lupata, 
rises and takes his little hoe, and after he has made 
some measurements, he marks off the grave a few 
feet from the door of the hut of mourning. In the 
meantime wood and logs have been brought and 
several fires kindled, as night is nearly always cool. 
Around these fires the men sit in groups, but the 
fires do not make sufficient light, and some grass 
is brought from the roof of the hut and burnt near 
the grave for light, so the chief may see to do his 
work in digging out the first part of the grave. He 
then hands the hoe to another, who continues the 
work. The ground is very hard and the work pro- 
ceeds slowly, and since they have difficulty in seeing, 
we place our lantern on a stamping block near 
them. This is gratefully acknowledged by the lit- 
tle group, and the digging continues. 

It is an uncanny scene : The steady, dull thud 
of the hoe as it digs into the hard earth ; the various 
campfires lighting up the dusky, grave faces of the 
men in their heathen garb ; the steady wail of 
mourning in the hut near by — all leave an impres- 
sion not soon obliterated. Thus perhaps an hour 



MACHA MISSION 395 

passes and several men have taken part in digging, 
the loose earth being removed by means of a basket ; 

but the picking of the hoe has taken on a metallic 
ring, for the earth is stony. The chief asks for 
kafir corn, and a daughter comes and shells some 
and places a pan of it near the open grave. Fre- 
quently some of this grain is dropped into the open- 
ing, " to soften and appease the earth," they say, 
and the digging continues, though but little prog- 
ress is made. Then the chief calls to the mourners, 
" Be quiet and do not make so much noise. Don't 
you know that the ground is hard and stony? " The 
noise subsides and the digging goes on. Soon the 
friends again begin their loud wailing, and since the 
ground is still hard and stony, the chief finally goes 
to the door of the hut and berates them soundly. 
" Be quiet! Do you not know that you are making 
our work difficult by your lamentations? The earth 
refuses to receive the dead " (because you are loath 
to give it). They become quiet and the work con- 
tinues. They think the very elements are arrayed 
against them, and the friends must propitiate the 
earth by a willing surrender of their loved one to 
its cold embrace. 

It is now midnight, and from the progress made 
we conclude that it will take all night to finish the 
stony grave. We speak to the chief and he says, 
"Yes, the interment will not likely be before early 
dawn." We conclude to return home and have 
some rest. At an early hour we are awakened and 
reach the village just at dawn. The grave has been 
dug so that those inside can stand to their armpits. 
Then near the bottom a further excavation is made 



396 AFRICA 

in the side of the grave, sufficiently large to receive 
the body. Two men remain standing in the grave 
while the body is carried out amid the lamentations 
of the mourners. It is gently lowered into the open 
grave and placed in the excavation in the side. 
Earth is handed down in baskets, and this is care- 
fully packed around the body. Then comes the 
filling of the main part of the opening. As the 
ground is lowered the two men stamp it down with 
their feet, for of course they are not standing on 
the body. When it is nearly full, the men emerge 
and several with sticks carefully pound the earth as 
it is put in until the grave is full. 

All this time the friends have been standing 
around weeping. When the grave is filled and all 
the rest of the earth removed, the head one calls 
loudly, "Water! " This is brought in a gourd and 
all the relatives and those taking part in the burial 
rush together; and as the water is poured out on 
the grave, they wash their hands in the falling wa- 
ter. The surface of the grave is by this time quite 
wet. The friends throw themselves on the muddy 
grave with their entire force, so that one would 
think bones might be broken. Some throw them- 
selves repeatedly, and by the time they have fin- 
ished, their bodies are quite muddy, but the top of 
the grave is pounded down as smooth as the sur- 
rounding earth, and by the time it is dry the un- 
initiated could not tell the place of burial. 

Those participating then go to the river to wash, 
and the chief mourners paint part of their bodies 
with an ash-colored soil. Word has been sent to 
the friends and neighbors and the wailing proper 



MACHA MISSION 397 

begins. Men with assegais, axes, or guns walk hack 
and forth crying "Mawe"; the women surround 
the grave, wailing and uttering various lamenta- 
tions, such as " My friend," " The father of Apuleni." 
A wife will have on her head the deceased's hat ; 
another will be carrying his assegai with the point 
bent; another his stool. All this time the son re- 
mained quietly weeping, taking no part in the heath- 
en demonstrations. 

An important part of the Batonga funeral is the 
sacrifice of animals, cattle, sheep, and goats. They 
think these have souls and accompany the deceased. 
The number killed depends upon the rank and 
the wealth of the one who died, although not all 
the animals sacrificed are his property. Relatives 
often bring of their own herds for the purpose. 
Some of the poorer class may have only one animal 
and small children none. At the grave of the mur- 
dered chief they sacrificed eight head of cattle ; at 
that of another chief, a little farther away, there 
were twenty-two killed. The meat of these animals 
is eaten by the mourners. At the funeral which we 
have just described the man was poor. One. of the 
relatives slew a goat, and an ox of the deceased also 
was killed. Later in the day, as the people began 
to assemble for the general mourning, several young 
men came leading an ox for sacrifice. They were 
decked out in a most fantastic manner, with pieces 
of bright-colored cloth and various colored paper 
cut in ribbons. As they arrived near the scene they 
made a rush for the grave, brandishing their weap- 
ons fiercely and seeming to fight the very powers of 
darkness. 



398 AFRICA 

One day Sister Taylor and I were present at the 
funeral of the daughter of a chief. She was already 
buried when we reached the place and two oxen 
had been killed. We had no sooner spoken to her 
parents and sat down than a number of cattle were 
driven into the enclosure, between the huts. An 
old native raised his spear and aimed at one of the 
cattle. The rest were at once driven out while that 
one staggered and fell. A woman stepped to the 
grave and loudly called to the dead that the animal 
was slain and its spirit was coming. It was a sick- 
ening sight. The wailing continued, and some of 
the people would run around the huts in a wild, 
scared manner, as if they were fighting something. 
The air is to them peopled with malevolent spirits, 
seeking to do them harm, and they must ward them 
off. If one is dying they often beat their tomtoms 
in a furious manner to ward off danger. Heathen 
death and burial is a sad thing. It must be seen to 
know how terrible it really is. The warlike Baila 
were accustomed formerly to sacrifice any one 
of another tribe who happened to be in the neigh- 
borhood at the death of a chief, for all strangers 
were enemies, and Gomo said he saw four or five 
human skulls on a tree as he approached one of 
their huts. The wailing is kept up for several days, 
especially at night, for it would seem that darkness 
adds to their terror of the evil spirits. 

We have often endeavored to show them the 
folly of some of their beliefs, and of course the 
Christians take no part with them. Even many of 
the older people are losing faith in some of these 
things, but are continuing to keep up appearances 



MACHA MISSION 399 

for fear of the rest. The chief near us says he is 
not going to sacrifice any more cattle; he will keep 
them and train them for oxen. 

Some are very eager to have white cloth in con- 
nection with burial, and one old man at some dis- 
tance north of us, who has a son in Bulawayo, de- 
sired us to write to the son, telling him to bring 
him a white shroud for burial. Whether this idea 
has come in through the white man I am unable to 
say, but it has probably come through some na- 
tives who have been to the towns to work and there 
learned something of Christian burial. Among 
some half-civilized natives in some parts of Africa, 
the idea prevails that if one is put in a coffin, and 
has a Christian burial, he will go to heaven. 

There is also a second and sometimes a third 
wailing, consisting of a beer drink and a dance. 
This too is generally held at night. The friends 
and relatives come together and the half-intoxicated 
mourners engage in singing and dancing. The ac- 
tions are most lewd and disgusting, for these are 
often genuine carousals of the basest sort ; but they 
are most religiously engaged in, and people who 
believe that the departed spirits have such power 
over the living, are loath to ignore any established 
worship of such spirits. 

Shikazwa is the messenger of witches and is sup- 
posed to bring harm, sickness, or death to its ene- 
mies. This class of spirits they say never dwells 
in a human body. They are always disembodied 
spirits and mediums. The belief in witchcraft and 
transmigration of souls is similar to that of the 
Matabele and need not be repeated. The native, 



400 AFRICA 

too, has firm belief in the efficacy of charms to ward 
off sickness or accidents and to bring good fortune, 
and the dispensers of these articles do a thriving 
business. 

There are various other beliefs in the possession 
of spirits, which are not very well understood, and 
some of them seem to be comparatively new, even 
among the natives themselves. While I was in 
Natal, in 1910, a missionary was telling me of a dif- 
ficulty they were encountering among the native 
girls. They became possessed with an affliction not 
unlike hysterics, and when it was started in a neigh- 
borhood it spread rapidly even among half-civilized 
natives. I say hysterics, because this lady was en- 
abled to check its advance by punishing the first 
one who was afflicted in that way in her school. I 
had never witnessed anything of the sort among na- 
tives until my return to Macha in that same year. 
One day, while out kraal-visiting, I was surprised 
to see something of the same nature. They tried to 
keep the actions of the young woman, who was af- 
flicted, from my notice, and hurriedly attempted to 
quiet her by silly remedies. When I inquired what 
was the matter, they quickly replied, " Nothing." 
The boy accompanying me said it was demon pos- 
session. This has spread over the country among 
the girls and young women. The natives called it 
Masabi. The older people do not care to mention 
it or, if they do, it is in sort of an apologetic manner. 
They claim that the spirit of some bird or other ani- 
mal enters the person and causes her to act so 
strangely. The usual remedy resorted to is to beat 
the tomtoms to drive away the spirit. They claim 



MACHA MISSION 401 

that the so-called possession is comparatively new 

in the country, and that it came from a tribe north- 
east of Macha. 



CHAPTER TWELVE 
A Few of Their Customs 

THE Batonga are very dark in color, although 
not always black. Their features are regular 
and well formed, and the people are intelli- 
gent looking. Some of them are large, but as a tribe 
they are not as powerfully built as the Matabele. 
Their tribal mark amounts to almost a deformity. 
When a boy (or girl) is about fourteen years of 
age, he is taken to the native dentist. The head is 
put on the ground and held in place while the den- 
tist with a blunt instrument knocks out the front 
upper teeth, usually four, sometimes six in number. 
The gums and lips become much swollen and in- 
flamed by this barbarous procedure; but in time 
they heal, and the child is a Mutonga or Mwila, and 
this deformity proclaims his tribe wherever he goes. 
The natives never care to have the process re- 
peated. Other natives often go to their missionaries 
to have teeth extracted, but the Batonga seldom or 
never do. They prefer the suffering which comes 
from neuralgia or toothache. This barbarous cus- 
tom, like many others, has nearly had its day, and 
many of the boys have already rebelled since they 
have come into contact with other natives or Euro- 
peans. It will require more time for the girls to 
break away from it, as they live more secluded lives, 
and have developed less independence of character 
402 



MACHA MISSION 403 

than their brothers. A mother will tell her daughter 
that it is a shame for a woman to have upper front 
teeth. She should be like the cow. 

They are all very fond of grease for their bodies, 
either animal fat or butter; and in this hot, dry 
climate this is not so objectionable, if they use it in 
moderation, by simply oiling the body to prevent 
the skin from cracking. Many of the women, how- 
ever, use the grease to excess. They grind red ochre 
and, mixing it with the grease, paint their bodies, 
including their hair, red, which is their idea of beau- 
ty. In this perhaps they are more excusable than 
some others. Clay often is used in dressing their 
hair, and buttons, beads, and shell are sewed to 
their hair, as ornaments. 

The men too take great pride in dressing their 
hair, and in this respect generally surpass the wom- 
en. They shave part of the head and let the hair 
about the crown and back of the head grow long. 
This they straighten out, and it looks not unlike 
strings hanging from the back of the head. This is 
carried to extremes among the Baila. There the 
dude lets his hair grow and then goes to the hair- 
dresser who, with grease, hair, and other materials, 
builds it up into a chignon on the top of his head. 
With some, this chignon is only five or six inches 
long, but in the interior of the tribe it is said to be 
sometimes three feet in length. Brother Steiger- 
wald on his trip north saw some of these long ones. 
Of course the head cannot help lying uneasy with 
such a weight. 

Among these people the clan, or perhaps I should 
say the kinsfolk, forms the unit. They all are close- 



404 



AFRICA 




MACHA MISSION 405 

ly bound together and each one more or less re- 
sponsible for the others of his relatives. In mar- 
riage, death, sickness, or trouble, all are concerned 
in the affair. When difficulty arises the heads of 
each clan listen to the affair and settle the dispute. 
Perhaps the persons most interested may have no 
opportunity of expressing an opinion, especially if 
they be younger and unimportant members of the 
families. 

An unfortunate accident occurred among some 
boys and one lost an eye. The one who caused the 
loss was not more to blame than the one who suf- 
fered the loss. It was purely accidental and without 
malice, and all who were spectators so regarded it. 
The one who suffered the loss desired that no at- 
tention be paid to the affair, but the father and elder 
relatives thought differently. They called a meet- 
ing of the heads of the two clans and discussed the 
affair with great deliberation, and in a most digni- 
fied and respectful manner. The boys were not con- 
sulted and there was nothing said in reference to its 
being an accident. An eye was lost and it must be 
paid for, and their custom is to require the one 
causing the loss to give all his property. In this 
instance the boy considered at fault was young and 
his father was dead, and all his property was three 
head of cattle and a sheep. His relatives said these 
animals would be given ; but the other boy's father 
said, " No, that is not sufficient. I will accept them, 
but the affair will not be settled. When he acquires 
more property, I will take that also." This was 
what the deliberations hinged on. The faulty one 
would be unable to secure any more property; it 



406 



AFRICA 



would all be taken away from him, so his elders were 
willing to give what the boy had, only on condition 
that that would end the matter. It could not be 
settled that day, but later the other party agreed to 
take that and consider the affair settled. 




A little fire often kindles a great conflagration 
among them. Once a murderer was taken through 
our premises on his way to the magistrate. He had 
come from a distance and the difficulty was some- 
thing like this: A native had a needle, and his 
neighbor borrowed it and lost it. The owner of the 
needle demanded and received an ox in pay. Some 
time afterward the borrower found the needle, and 
bringing it back to the owner wanted his ox back, 



MACHA MISSION 407 

but the ox was dead. The trouble finally resulted in 
murder. 

In marriage the question of kinship also is promi- 
nent. Marriage is nut merely the union of two 
people, or even two immediate families, but of two 
elans, and the prominent members of both must be 
consulted. If a man sees a girl whom he wishes to 
make his wife, he first consults his parents, and if 
there is any objection among his relatives the mat- 
ter is dropped. If, however, they are satisfied, his 
mother goes to the mother of the girl and asks for 
her daughter. If the immediate relatives of the 
girl object a negative answer is given. If they look 
with favor on the proposed alliance, they consult 
the other prominent relatives, which may require 
considerable time. Some one may object because a 
relative of the proposed groom quarreled a great 
deal with his wife, or some one may affirm that he 
is lazy. Trouble that has arisen between the clans 
in the past, such as that relating to the boy's eye, 
may be a formidable obstacle, although the parties 
concerned may have had nothing to do with the ac- 
cident or the settlement of it. If all are agreed, well 
and good. All this time the bride has had no voice 
in the affair and generally does not know what is 
transpiring. 

Betrothal among these people may take place 
when the girl is quite young, but generally not until 
the girl is from 14 to 18 years of age, and then it is 
of short duration, as marriage follows soon after it 
is found that all the relatives agree. The old 
people, especially the mothers, take the affair in 
hand, the interested parties merely following their 



408 



AFRICA 



instructions. The groom is told to be ready. Per- 
haps he has been looking forward and gathering to- 
gether the kukwa (pay or dowry) for the occasion. 
He has been buying hoes, from ten to twenty of 
them, for these are always a necessary part of the 
pay, probably because they are all farmers and the 



;.f / 




..iii 



native-made hoes always command a good price. 
In addition to these, he procures a lot of cloth, 
beads, money, and some assegais. He freely calls 
on his relatives and friends to assist him in procur- 
ing the needed pay, for they have had some choice 
in the affair. The day is appointed for the wedding, 
but before this arrives the girl is informed who is 
to be her husband. She may or may not be pleased ; 
her choice in the matter is wholly ignored. She 



MACHA MISSION 409 

has been trained all her life to obey, to keep herself 
hid, and has very little freedom until after marriage. 
Should she even be pleased with the choice, she is 
expected for modesty's sake to protest and cry out 
and struggle and declare she will not submit. 

The mother of the bridegroom takes the pay and 
goes to the house of the bride, the groom and his 
best man following. They put up a booth near the 
kraal of the bride for the groom to occupy. We en- 
ter the village and find the relatives of the bride, 
from far and near, assembled for the wedding, for 
all these expect to receive some of the pay. The 
women and the girls gather and begin to sing the 
marriage song, the tune of which is always the 
same, but the words are improvised for the occa- 
sion. One of the older ones will lead off and say, 
" This girl is going to be married," and the rest will 
assent by singing in unison, again, " We shall receive 
some hoes, so that we may dig our gardens," and 
again the response. All this is done in a monoto- 
nous but not altogether unmusical manner. Another 
will take up the lead, and a day or two will be con- 
sumed in this way until everything that can be 
thought of in reference to marriage, good, bad, and 
indifferent, is repeated in song. The bride, however, 
is not among the singers. We pass through the vil- 
lage and a young woman beckons us to enter a hut. 
The other women greet us, but our guide with a 
smile mysteriously leads us into an inner chamber. 
Here is a young woman, greased from head to foot, 
so much so that the grease drips from her body. A 
blanket is thrown around her and over her head, and 
she keeps her eyes down in a miserable-looking 



410 



AFRICA 



fashion, as if she were crying or pouting, and never 
by the least sign acknowledges our presence. We 
are new to the situation, but it suddenly dawns upon 
us that this is the bride. We inquire, " What is the 
trouble? Does she not wish to be married? " " Oh, 
yes," is the answer, " but she must be sad because 
she is a bride." 




Native Women — Widows. 



In the afternoon the relatives gather around the 
hut of the groom to receive their presents, and each 
makes a choice. Of course they are expected to be 
reasonable in their demands, because sometimes 
there are forty persons to receive presents. The 
father or men nearly related to the bride may take 
more liberty; one or two sometimes demand ten 
shillings. While the best man is trying to satisfy 
all these demands, the groom is often berated sound- 
ly by some, and even at times suffers bodily vio- 



MACHA MISSION 411 

lence. If his supply of goods is reasonable in 
amount, so that nearly all are satisfied, the bride is 
given to him at once. If very few presents are on 
hand the proceedings may stop and he or his best 
man be obliged to go among his relatives and secure 
more money or goods. If he is slow in this, difficul- 
ties may arise between him and the girl's relatives 
until it come to blows. Not long ago a groom, about 
four miles from Macha, was so violently attacked 
that he died from the blows given. This is unusual 
at the present day, but it may have been more com- 
mon formerly. Even if the wedding has passed off 
all right the girl does not at once go to cook for 
her husband ; it may be several months or a year 
before they fit her out with earthen pots, baskets, 
and the like and she goes to housekeeping. In the 
meantime she is supposed to be so modest that she 
will not speak to her husband or lift her eyes in his 
presence. The modesty of the Batonga girls is in 
striking contrast with the behavior of many other 
African girls, and immorality does not seem as prev- 
alent among the unmarried as in some other places. 
Even the Baila girls are much bolder, both in looks 
and actions. If a girl is bold, and goes about alone, 
she may generally be conceded to be of an immoral 
character. When the bride is finally taken to the 
house of her husband, the father may demand a cow 
or two as additional pay. If the girl refuses to go, 
she often is carried by force. Sometimes the mother 
may refuse to have the girl leave home, and then 
the husband is obliged to live at the kraal of his 
parents-in-law. If he has two wives he often thus 
has two homes. 



412 



AFRICA 



The groom must always show great respect for 
the wife's parents, and especially for her mother. 
When she appears on the scene, he must leave, if 
escape is possible ; otherwise he must sit quietly, 
not lifting his eyes in the august presence of her 
who gave birth to his wife, so that the life of the 
native who lives in the same kraal with his mother- 
in-law is not a very pleasant one. When he meets 




Kabanzi Chief with His First Wife. 



his father-in-law he salutes him by clapping his 
hands, and the salutation is returned by the father- 
in-law tapping his chest with his right hand. The 
husband may never call his wife by her maiden 
name, but he gives her a new one of his own. 

The fact that the marriage is the concern of so 
many, and is so rigidly controlled by the elders, 
places many obstacles in the way of the mission- 
aries. It is difficult for Christian boys many times 



MACHA MISSION 413 

to gain the hand of Christian girls, and for Christian 
girls to be given to Christian boys, as many of the 
older people object to their daughters entering the 
Christian clan. At present the missionary is not 
allowed to interfere in these native customs, and 
the girl has no recourse. Custom says she must 
obey her parents and relatives, and the law upholds 
custom. Being under such close supervision all 
her life, she has no opportunity of developing inde- 
pendence of thought and action like her brother. 
The missionaries are looking for better times, how- 
ever, and ask that all who read these lines pray that 
the day may speedily come when the girls and boys 
may have more right of choice. We have reason to 
think that the day is dawning when this form of 
slavery will also be in the past. 

Again, the fact that kinship has such a hold upon 
the people, and each one is in a measure responsible 
for or dependent upon the rest, renders freedom of 
thought and action difficult among all. It tends to 
retard development of character and makes evan- 
gelization difficult among them. It does not inter- 
fere to the extent that caste does in India, but it is 
by no means a negligible quantity. This and blind 
custom form pretty strong bands, for the native 
does not like to stand alone or be odd from his fel- 
lows. When the Gospel is given to the people they 
may appear to listen attentively and outwardly ac- 
cept what is said, but try to press home the question 
to individual hearts and the leader will answer for 
all, " Yes, we are all Christians. We accept what 
you say. Our hearts are white toward God." One 
who understands the native character cannot avoid 



414 



AFRICA 




MACHA MISSION 415 

being skeptical when he hears of entire tribes turn- 
ing to the Lord. They may in outward form, for 
what is popular with the leaders is popular with the 
crowd. It is easy for them to put on the form of 
Christianity and go through all the ceremonies of 
it, but with how many there is a change of heart 
remains to be seen by the lives they lead. 

The Batonga do not build as good huts as the 
Matabele, nor do they put in a polished floor ; per- 
haps, because the ants are so numerous in this part 
of the country, the hut soon falls to pieces and must 
be rebuilt, even though they may have built it care- 
fully at first. Their presence also may account for 
the Batonga making bedsteads and chairs, whereas 
the Matabele do not. Their huts too are not only 
the home of the people, but at night, goats, a calf 
or two, dogs, and sometimes chickens are housed 
in the same hut, so that it would not be easy to 
keep a respectable-looking place. As their flocks in- 
crease they build separate huts for them, as every- 
thing must be well housed on account of wild animals. 

In many other ways they differ from the Mata- 
bele. They do not have digging-bees like the Mata- 
bele ; in fact, they do not call their neighbors to- 
gether for any kind of work, except that the men 
assist one another in building. If they have a beer- 
drink it is a sociable gathering or a wailing. The 
beer is brought and always tasted first by the giver, 
to show that there is no poison in the cup. Each 
woman digs her own little garden alone, or with 
her children. When we entered the country the 
Matabele would not touch fish, the dislike being so 
great that it almost amounted to a taboo. Among 



416 AFRICA 

these people fish is the staple article of diet. The 
only reason that seems plausible is that here there 
are many large rivers and fish are abundant, while 
in the other country there are none. These people 
do not kill twins, but they do the children that cut 
the upper teeth first. Eggs are tabooed to unmar- 
ried boys and girls, and a superstitious reason is 
given and strongly believed in by them ; but back 
of it the object of the elders in enforcing the taboo 
seems to have been to prevent young Africans from 
robbing the nests and lessening the supply of chicks. 
There are many other taboos among the tribes 
which are strictly adhered to, the origin of which 
could easily be traced to expediency. 

The Batonga will tell you that the assegai is the 
weapon of the man and the hoe of the woman. As 
one sees the men always armed with assegais, so 
the women generally carry a hoe ; nor is it always 
just an ordinary hoe for digging. Her husband 
sometimes procures for her a dainty little hoe, hav- 
ing the handle beautifully ornamented with fine 
woven wire. This has no other use than to be car- 
ried with her as she goes on a journey or to a wail- 
ing, and she is very proud of it and nothing will in- 
duce her to part with it. 

They have many forms of salutation, more than 
any other tribe of natives that I have met, some 
general and others special, for morning, noon, or 
night, and they are very punctilious about saluting, 
but never in a hurry. They greet not only the one 
they meet, but also inquire about his wife and chil- 
dren, especially the baby, and about what he eats, 
as well as other questions in general. If a number 



MACHA MISSION 417 

of persons are sitting clown and another group ap- 
proach, they too will be seated and perhaps a few 
general remarks may be made ; then the salutation 
begins. Every one in the first group must individu- 
ally greet everyone in the second group and ask 
al»<uit his health and receive an answer to the same. 
There is no confusion, no hurry. The native does 
not shake hands except as he has learned it from 
the white man ; he greets only by word of mouth, 
or on special occasion by embracing. 

A very pleasing incident in reference to one of the 
salutations, lumela (rejoice), is given by Rev. Chap- 
man, one of the pioneers of the Primitive Methodist 
Mission, and I give it in detail: 

" One of these old men could still remember Dr. 
Livingstone's visit to Sekeletu, about 1855. The 
doctor was known among the Makololo as Monare. 
When I showed the old man a photo of Dr. Living- 
stone he was greatly excited. 

1 Yes,' said he, ' really and truly that is Monare's 
likeness. He wore a moustache just like that ; it is 
indeed Monare.' 

1 ' Can you really remember Monare? ' I asked. 

1 ' Of course I can,' said he. ' Why, it was Mo- 
nare who brought us the salutation we generally 
use. Before Monare came we used to say, when we 
met a friend on the path, " Utshohile " ["You have 
got up"]. But when Monare came he said, "Lu- 
mela" "Rejoice"], and we replied, "E Lumela 
ntate" ["Yes, rejoice, my father"]. Why, it was 
he who told the Makololo to live in peace, and rule 
their people well. See how white my beard is? Of 
course I can remember Monare.' " 



CHAPTER THIRTEEN 
Later Years 

THE work at Macha continued to develop 
slowly but steadily. There are many daily 
duties which always fall to the lot of the 
missionary and which might be classed under the 
head of drudgery, which do not seem to count, and 
yet they are as necessary for the advancement of 
the work as the more noticeable ones, and the year 
1912 was no exception to this rule. 

During the rainy season there was also a very 
anxious time, as Baby Ruth became very sick with 
infantile remittent fever. For over a month she was 
very ill and we were afraid that we might lose her. 
Day after day she lay with her face almost as white 
as the pillow, except for a bright spot on either 
cheek. The nearest doctor was one hundred and 
fifty miles away, and the station through which two 
trains weekly ran was thirty-six miles distant, so 
that medical aid seemed impossible, save that given 
by her parents, who anxiously and tenderly minis- 
tered unto her; but many prayers ascended in her 
behalf and the Lord had compassion on us and re- 
stored her to health. This climate is treacherous 
for grown people, but especially so for children. 

We have as yet mentioned nothing in reference to 
the medical part of the work. This was not a prom- 
inent feature, yet from the first all who came for 
418 



MACHA MISSION 



419 




f?m 




WM 






^7: -'I &■■ h 



%: ^- : ;K:K 






* 


' 


.; 






\ A \ 


* •-■ *. v -_\ 





420 AFRICA 

help received attention and many were cured or 
permanently helped. All kinds of diseases are to be 
met with in this climate, in addition to fever. Skin 
diseases seem especially prevalent in many forms, 
some of them the most loathsome imaginable; and 
nearly every village also has its quota of from two 
to four lepers. These lepers freely mingle with the 
rest of the people, no effort whatever being made to 
segregate them. The native will affirm that leprosy 
is not contagious, it is hereditary, and there is rea- 
son for this view of the case. It makes the heart 
ache to see women without toes and sometimes 
without fingers, and full of sores, nursing beautiful, 
innocent babies, when we think what a life is before 
these little ones. 

These people also have their own remedies. When 
one is suffering with pain in any part of the body, 
a very common remedy is to resort to cupping. For 
this purpose they use the horns of animals, usually 
of goats. I once watched one woman cupping an- 
other. With a knife or piece of sharp tin, she made 
two incisions in the flesh where the pain was. She 
then placed the large end of the horn on this, and 
with her mouth on the small end she removed all 
the air from the horn, which soon became filled, or 
nearly so, with blood. Leaving this horn on the 
place, she in a similar manner applied another horn, 
until three or four had been applied at various 
places. She then carefully removed them, one at a 
time. Since the object had been to extract the 
blood, it had certainly been successful, and in some 
respects the natives are only half a century behind — 
that is all. 



MACHA MISSION 421 

In some diseases they very readily conic to us, 
and sometimes fifteen or twenty are present at once, 
awaiting their turn. At other times we are called 
to the villages to minister to them. Once some 
natives came from the nearest village to say that a 
woman was dying. Her husband at the time was 
one of the carriers for the brethren on their trip 
north. We hastened over and found her in a little 
dark hut, where we could see nothing, so they were 
told to carry her out into the light, that we might 
see her. The livid spots, spongy gums, and extreme 
debility all helped to indicate a bad case of scurvy. 
She was seemingly in the last stages, and we were 
fearful that the call for help had come too late. It 
was a year of great scarcity of food among the na- 
tives, and from the report she must have been liv- 
ing chiefly on a sort of greens, with no salt even to 
season it. It was now about dark, and they said 
that if something was not done at once she could 
scarcely live until morning. We looked to the Lord 
for direction and then hastened home to procure the 
needed food, which in this instance was quite simple, 
salt water, and boiled-down grape juice, with a lit- 
tle vinegar. These were used carefully during the 
night, and in the morning she had improved suffi- 
ciently to eat other food. In a few days she was 
able to be up, and her husband, on the way home, 
was informed that she had been raised from the 
dead. 

As the work advanced, we arranged to use one of 
the huts for a hospital, wdiere those who desired 
might remain and be treated, and a number availed 
themselves of the opportunity. Both Mr. and Mrs. 



422 AFRICA 

Taylor were quite successful in medical work, and 
some difficult cases came for treatment. In this 
year Brother Taylor treated some very severe 
wounds, ulcers, cancer, a boy with his hands blown 
to pieces by gunpowder, a native badly lacerated by 
a leopard, and an European who had accidentally 
shot himself, in addition to other cases. We have 
also had opportunity at other times of ministering 
to white people. 

Whether or not the missionaries have had train- 
ing in such work in civilized countries, the exi- 
gencies of their surroundings, far from doctors and 
medical help, necessitate their devoting time and 
study to the cases continually brought before them. 
Many of them become quite proficient in treating 
diseases ; and perhaps some, in time, become by 
practice more skilled in treating diseases of trop- 
ical climates than some physicians of temperate 
zones would be, who were unused to tropical dis- 
eases, even though they might display their sheep- 
skin to show a theoretical knowledge of the science. 
The safest and best course, however, would be to 
acquire some of the theoretical knowledge before 
coming to Africa, and then be ready for the practice. 

It is needless to state that the missionary's prac- 
tice among the natives is not a lucrative one. Med- 
icines are very expensive, and a physician must have 
a diploma from an English medical college before 
he may charge for his professional services in an 
English colony. Even then his heathen patients are 
not prepared to pay much should he feel to charge 
— which he generally does not. The missionary's 
labor is one of love, and he rejoices that he has the 



MACHA MISSION 



423 




privilege, in a small degree, of being a follower of 
the Great Physician. Aid for the body of the na- 
tives is one of the best ways of reaching their hearts 
and souls. 

During the two weeks' vacation in July some of 
us concluded to spend the time in evangelistic work 
among the villages. We knew the change to out- 



424 AFRICA 

door life also would be beneficial to ourselves. There 
was one village, Kabwe, composed chiefly of Baila 
people, where an interest was being manifested, and 
several there had been attending school. This was 
distant about fourteen miles by wagon road, and we 
decided to go there, David and his wife and the 
dear little baby, who had come to bless their home, 
accompanying. Word was sent ahead that the peo- 
ple should erect a temporary straw hut for them, 
while I occupied the tent wagon. When we reached 
the place we found everything prepared and in 
readiness for us, and the people also. We received 
a royal welcome from all and were soon comfortably 
situated. There were fifty huts in this village, and 
every evening after the people had finished their 
day's work and had eaten their suppers, about fifty 
or sixty of them would come to us, sit around our 
bright log fire, and listen most attentively while 
the Word was being expounded, and then quietly 
kneel in prayer, and mingle their voices with ours in 
song. In the morning again, before they went to 
their gardens to dig, they would assemble for serv- 
ices. On Sunday we gathered on the side of an 
ant hill, in the shade of some trees, and here a 
much larger number came for services. Generally 
during the day David would go to the surrounding 
villages and proclaim Christ. 

There were several in this village who occasion- 
ally came to Macha on Saturday and stayed for 
Sunday services. One Saturday evening at Macha, 
after the rest of the natives had passed out of the 
evening worship, two women from this place re- 
mained for inquiry and prayer. They very humbly 



MACHA MISSION 425 

confessed their past life and said they wished to be 
Christians. We knelt in prayer, and I think I never 
I 'dure heard raw natives pour out their hearts in 
Mich intelligent and heartfelt petitions as they did, 
and their prayers for pardon were heard. We were 
pleased to learn, while we were at Kabwe, that these 
women were standing true and being a light to the 
rest. 

( )ne evening during the meetings at this place an 
unusual number of natives were gathered around 
the tire, and the Word was preached by our native 
evangelist with unusual power. A hymn had been 
sung and prayer offered, and the people were told 
that they could go home. Still they sat there with- 
out a word being spoken, and they were evidently 
in deep thought. Finally a girl arose, and coming 
forward weeping said, "I want to be a Christian. 
Will you pray for me? " Before we knelt, a general 
invitation was given to others who desired to ac- 
cept Christ to come forward. This evidently was 
what they wanted, and at once men, women, and 
girls began to press forward and kneel, and we had 
a most blessed season with them as one after an- 
other began to open their hearts to the Lord in 
prayer. It was a melting and breaking-up time. 
Among the number who came was the chief of the 
village and several other elderly men and women. 
The next morning they again came together. David 
had gone to other villages for the day, but his wife 
and I held the service. This time, as soon as op- 
portunity offered the people began to confess their 
sins and say that they wished to leave their past 
lives and follow Christ. Nor do we have any rea- 



426 



AFRICA 




MACHA MISSION 427 

-''ii to doubt their sincerity. The world about them, 
peopled with malevolent spirit-, seeking to do them 
harm, and their own accusing conscience would nat- 
urally drive them to a Savior Who can give them 
rest and peace. Praise God! He can give even 
these older ones freedom from the chains of dark- 
ness. 

Since we find the younger ones more easily per- 
suaded, I believe we too soon become discouraged 
with the older ones and expect too much of them, 
or too sudden a transformation in their lives. I 
was pleased by a few sentences in Brother Frey's 
letter under date of April 4, 1914. He says: 

" Last Sunday there was a goodly number of the 
old men present. We have sent out word that 
Brother Steigerwald will have a special message 
for the old on next Sunday, and we are giving a 
special invitation to all the old men to come. . . . 
A number of these old men have been coming more 
or less regularly for some time. Will you not join 
with us that they might be saved? " 

That is the right spirit, and what Brother Frey 
is seeking to do at Mtyabezi we can all do. The old 
want to feel that we have a special interest in their 
salvation, and that we are not going to leave them 
to themselves in the struggle ; but let us help them 
to know that there is One Who can and will set 
them free if they will only come. In this little 
meeting at Kabwe even some of the older ones who 
started are still striving to get on the Rock. One 
middle-aged man and his wife, who came forward 
that night, have finally moved near the mission and 
built them a hut there, so that they might learn 



428 AFRICA 

more about Jesus. The chief very strongly urged 
our starting a school at that place, which we did 
not long afterwards. 

We remained at this place nine days and then 
moved to Simeoba's village. Although some of the 
other missionaries had visited this village, I had nev- 
er had the privilege previous to this. It is larger than 
the rest and is made up of three different tribes of 
people, Batonga, Barotse, and Baila, but the lan- 
guage of all is more or less similar. They were stran- 
ger and more shy than those at Kabwe, and as soon 
as we reached the place, Mankunku and I went 
through the village to meet and learn to know the 
people. Everywhere we were kindly received. 
They were greatly surprised to see a white woman 
who could speak their language ; and as the word 
was passed along, one after another would come and 
join the number who were conversing. About all 
were in ordinary native garb, but there were two 
or three who evidently had been down to Bulawayo 
to work, and they prided themselves on their Euro- 
pean clothes ; especially did one of these step about 
as if lord of the place. Some of the sick asked for 
help and were ministered unto, and we were pleased 
to learn that some were helped. All were invited 
to assemble around our fire in the evening for serv- 
ices, and as soon as their suppers were over they 
began to gather, about one hundred in number, 
around the bright, blazing fire, the shy ones keep- 
ing in the background where they could not be seen. 
Many of them no doubt had never been at a service 
before, while a few r who had been at school at 
Macha could help sing. One or two of those more 



MACHA MISSION 



429 



pretentiously dressed than the rest evidently bad 

attended meeting elsewhere, and were at this meet- 




David Moyo and His Wife and Child. 



ing self-appointed law-and-order men. With such 
a raw crowd as most of these were, we always try 
to sing easy hymns in which there is a great deal of 



430 AFRICA 

repetition ; we also line the hymns before singing 
and have them repeat after us, so that it was not 
long before nearly all joined in the singing. Kneel- 
ing in prayer is so new an experience that some of 
the uninitiated sometimes consider it amusing and 
begin to laugh. In this instance two or three girls 
caused some disturbance while we were in prayer ; 
and we were scarcely on our feet when one of the 
self-constituted policemen jumped over some of the 
others and soundly berated the offenders. Order 
was then restored and the service proceeded with- 
out any further interruption, after which the meet- 
ing closed. 

The next morning I was awakened by a woman 
outside my tent clapping her hands and thanking 
me, saying, " You are my healer." She had been af- 
flicted with neuralgia the day before ; and on asking 
for medicine, she had been given a cup of very 
strong hot lemonade, which had cured her. 

This day was Sunday, and as the people were 
again invited to assemble, about one hundred and 
twenty came, and we had an interesting service to 
an attentive congregation. We then turned our 
faces homeward, stopping on the way at Kabanzi, 
one of our regular preaching places, and holding 
a service. We reached home that night, ready for 
school, which was to open the next day, and feeling 
greatly benefited by our outing. 

We were all at this time well housed, but there 
still was need of a good store building, as the old 
ones which had been used for this purpose were 
about all tumbling down. David had already made 



MACHA MISSION 



431 




432 AFRICA 

some brick, so after our return he began on the 
building, with the assistance of some of the boys. 
He erected a very good building 33 x 16 feet, con- 
taining two small rooms and one large one, with a 
veranda around it. It was a good piece of work 
and was finished in about two months. The large 
room was for his wife and child. 

David had never been satisfied with his educa- 
tion and was still anxious to attend school, especial- 
ly an English school. He had some opportunity for 
private instruction at Macha, and also taught part 
of the time, but generally there were so many du- 
ties and responsibilities, both temporal and spiritual, 
resting upon him that he had very little time for 
study, and he felt that he must get away where 
school work would be his first work. We greatly 
preferred that he remain and continue his labors at 
Macha, but he no doubt realized that the pupils too 
were progressing, and he needed more knowledge if 
he was to continue as teacher. The latter part of 
September he started for Natal to attend school. We 
receive a good report of him from his teachers. He 
is said to exert a good influence over the other boys 
in the school, and he is also frequently called upon 
to do evangelistic work among them. Will you not 
join with us that he may be kept humble and not 
get away from his call to give the Gospel beyond 
the Zambezi? 

His wife remains with us to help in the capacity 
of Bible woman. Their little girl is a dear, bright, 
intelligent child as she grows up amid civilized sur- 
roundings, and is a good example of what a better 
environment will do for these people. 



MACHA MISSION 433 

Sister Taylor had now been away from Ameriea 
nearly eight years and had not been to the seashore 
for a change of climate since coming to Interior 
Africa. She had enjoyed good health nearly all that 
time and had been diligent in season and out of sea- 
son in the Master's business. She was a most use- 
ful and resourceful missionary always, but the time 
had come when she was in sore need of a furlough 
to the homeland. Brother Taylor too had not been 
to the seashore, and it was necessary for both of 
them to. leave. They were greatly needed in the 
work at Macha, and we could not see how we could 
get along without them, but too many missionaries 
on the field have, under the pressure of work and 
the needs about them, remained longer than was 
expedient, and paid the penalty with their lives. In 
February, 1913, they left Macha for their homeward 
journey. 

About two months previous to this Mr. and Mrs. 
Jesse Wenger had returned to Africa, and came to 
Macha to take the place of the Taylors. Unfor- 
tunately, however, both of them were stricken down 
with fever about two weeks after reaching the mis- 
sion station. They remained seven months, and 
during that time there was almost one continual 
combat with fever, especially on the part of Brother 
Wenger. United with this was great nervous dis- 
order and prostration, so that it seemed impossible 
for him to stand the climate. They greatly desired 
to remain and continue the work, but since it seemed 
impossible for him to endure the climate, he wrote 
to Elder Steigerwald, who finally arranged for them 
to try Johannesburg. We felt sorry, both on Broth- 



434 AFRICA 

er Wenger's account and for the sake of the work, 
that they were unable to remain on the field. 

During the time of these seemingly necessary 
changes among the missionaries at Macha, the work 
continued to grow and develop. There was no in- 
crease in the number of boys, but some of those 
who had been with us were proving helpful as 
teachers and evangelists among the people. The 
work had been branching out and six schools were 
started; in some of which men, women, boys, and 
girls were attending. In the early years the con- 
verts were of those staying at the mission ; but since 
the opening of the out-schools the work was spread- 
ing much more rapidly, and some of the married 
people, as well as the girls, had accepted Christ and 
were living exemplary lives in their homes. These 
also attended the Inquirers' Class and church serv- 
ices at Macha on Sunday. 

There are several services held each week at the 
mission. Besides the daily worship, there is on 
Sunday morning an Inquirers' Class and a Mem- 
bers' Class, both held at the same hour but in differ- 
ent rooms. These are held on this day because so 
many have far to come. Then comes the general 
church service, followed by Sunday-school, for 
which all remain. In the evening there is a song 
and Scripture service for those staying at the mis- 
sion. Thursday morning early is a midweek serv- 
ice and testimony meeting ; and on Friday night the 
Christian natives have their prayer meeting, pre- 
sided over by one of their number, while the mis- 
sionaries have a prayer meeting in English. In 
addition to these there is a monthly prayer day, the 



MACHA MISSION 



435 




Batonga Chiefs, Near Macha Mission. 



436 AFRICA 

first Friday of each month, on which day all our 
out-schools are closed and teachers and many of the 
pupils meet with us. 

These were often times of great blessing to all 
of us, one of which especially might be mentioned, 
the first Friday in May, 1913. On this day there 
were nearly one hundred natives present, consisting 
of members and class members; and eight of our 
boys who had been south to work for a year had 
just returned home and were present. On such 
days many of the Christians were accustomed to 
spend the early morning hours out alone in secret 
prayer, before the opening of the meeting. On the 
above date, as we stepped into the church in the 
morning, we realized that there was unusual mani- 
festation of the Spirit's presence among us. Sev- 
eral of the boys took part in the opening seasons of 
prayer in a very impressive manner. We read a 
Scripture lesson and for a short time spoke on 
cleansing and consecration and the infilling of the 
Spirit, and they were unusually attentive, which al- 
ways helps the speaker. Expectation of some kind 
seemed in the air. The testimony meeting opened 
with heartfelt testimonies. Then one's testimony 
became a prayer for greater outpouring of the Spir- 
it. Again we knelt and he continued in prayer. 
Suddenly the very house seemed shaken, and with 
one accord all were prostrate before the Lord. Some 
were smitten with a spirit of conviction ; others be- 
gan a service of praise, and still others lay low, let- 
ting the Lord talk to them and fill them with His 
own Holy Spirit. The united prayers continued for 
two or more hours, and while there was noise of 



MACHA MISSION 437 

prayer and praise there could not be said to be any 
disorder, as all but one or two remained at their 
places. Many received a deeper understanding and 
experience of Divine things that day. Once Brother 
and Sister Wenger and myself began to sing, but 
they continued in prayer and we stopped singing. 
There were some present who probably received no 
benefit. In Africa, as in America, there are some 
at such times who follow the rest outwardly at 
least, but do not seem to be benefited in heart. 

The latter part of June Elder Steigerwald came 
to see about the work at Macha. It had been one 
and one-half years since his last visit, and we were 
glad for the privilege of again welcoming him. 
With him was Miss Elizabeth Engle, who had for 
six years been a most valued worker at Mtyabezi 
Mission ; also Mr. L. B. Steckley, who had two 
years ago come out from Canada as a missionary 
and was helping in the work at Matopo. These two 
were to take up the work at Macha, while Mr. and 
Mrs. Wenger proceeded to the Transvaal, to occupy 
the station at Boxburg, thus enabling Mr. and Mrs. 
Jesse Eyster to return home on furlough. 

While Elder Steigerwald was with us at this time, 
eighteen native Christians were baptized and re- 
ceived into the Church. Among them were several 
married men, three women, and four girls. Some 
of these were the first fruits of the out-schools. We 
rejoiced that at last we enjoyed the privilege of 
partaking of the Lord's supper with some dark- 
skinned sisters of the Batonga tribe. It was now 
nearly seven years since the mission had opened in this 
place, and these were the first native women to join 



438 AFRICA 

with us. The women had also been slow to desire 
civilized clothing, for our desire had been to im- 
press upon them more the inner than the outer 
adornment. They were, however, becoming anx- 
ious to be clothed, and as many of the boys who 
had now grown to manhood had adopted European 
clothing, our congregations were quite different in 
appearance from the old days. At this time also 
two couples were united in Christian marriage. 
These were the first native Christian marriages at 
Macha. Since natives are so often inclined to ex- 
tremes on the dress question, in marriage, we made 
it a special point to say nothing about new clothing 
for the occasion. 

A number of others made application for baptism, 
but it was thought best for some to wait awhile, so 
six months later Elder Steigerwald came to Macha 
again. This time he was accompanied by his wife 
and Sister Doner. Ten more natives were bap- 
tized and there were several candidates who could 
not meet with us at this time. There were also 
three more couples united in Christian marriage. 
There have been fifty-nine baptized at this place, 
but three or four were not as true as we could 
have desired. One of those who had backslidden 
was the first boy brought to the mission, the son of 
Macha. He had never been very zealous in the 
Master's service, and yet his life had seemed con- 
sistent. The Lord may find a way into his heart 
again. 

It frequently happens on the mission field that 
young boys will come to the station, learn, and then 



MACHA MISSION 439 

leave without any special manifestation that the 
Gospel has entered their hearts, yet an impression 
has been made on their plastic minds, and it often 
follows and convicts them later in life. So the mis- 
sionary need not be discouraged if the first or sec- 
ond invitation fails to bring the native to the foot of 
the Cross. 

We greatly enjoyed the visit of Brother and Sis- 
ter Steigerwald, and were eager for them to see 
some of the out-schools. We started out for this 
purpose, but were all taken with fever, one after 
another, and the visits had to be abandoned. Sister 
Doner had come to assist in the work at Macha and 
take charge of the school. She and Brother Freys 
had just returned from a furlough to America, and 
as I had now been in the work nearly nine years 
and needed a change, she, together, with Sister En- 
gle and Brother Steckley, was to take charge here 
during my furlough. The latter two had been at 
the place some months and were beginning to know 
and understand the people and surroundings. Sister 
Engle in her capacity as nurse was having ample 
opportunity to care for the sick, who were always 
glad for help. She is always a most capable and 
willing worker wherever needed. Brother Steckley 
too is a consecrated soldier of the Cross and ready 
for whatever comes to him. 



CHAPTER FOURTEEN 
The Out-Stations 

Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, 
that I have given unto you. — Joshua 1: 3. 

JUST as the Lord told Joshua to rise up and 
take possession of the land of Canaan for God 
and His people, so we believe He is saying to 
all missionaries whom He sends out into the midst 
of the enemy's country, that He has given the peo- 
ple unto them and they should rise and take posses- 
sion in God's name. We often live beneath our 
privileges in this, and our faith so soon becomes 
weak and wavering. God also says to us, " Be 
strong and of good courage." 

There are two objects which seem paramount on 
the mission field, and about which everything else 
revolves. These are, (1) the salvation of souls, and 
(2) the preparation of natives to become teachers 
and evangelists of their people. Dispense with 
these fundamental objects and one might as well 
remain at home. Missionaries may differ in regard 
to the best methods of carrying out these purposes, 
and some may even object to the statement just 
made. With some missionaries, education and civi- 
lization hold a very prominent place, and with a 
few missionary work spells education and civiliza- 
tion, and we are sorry to say that the number who 
take this view is increasing. The great body of 
440 



MACHA MISSION 441 

missionaries, however, of whatever name, arc such 
from love of souls. The aim should be to get the 
native really saved and on the Rock, Christ Jesus, 
so that he may become a light in his home. At the 
same time we should seek to train him to become a 
soul-winner among his people, so that a knowledge 
of God may be spread over the country. In this 
way only can the Great Commission be successfully 
carried out. 

In Africa, especially, are teachers needed on the 
mission field, for before the missionary comes there 
is no written language, much less any who can 
read. To teach the people to read the Word is not 
only desirable, but it is an absolute necessity if it 
is to be a Light unto their feet in that dark land. 
We do not claim that a native cannot be a Christian 
unless he can read, for some of the older ones live 
exemplary Christian lives, although unable to read 
the Word ; but among the younger generation they 
very seldom become established Christians if they 
are not willing to apply themselves sufficiently to 
study so that they are at least able to read the 
Word of God understandingly. Then too the spread 
of the Gospel cannot continue unless some are able 
to read. 

I call to mind two able and Spirit-filled mission- 
aries who spent two years in self-sacrificing labors 
among the natives of Africa. They went about from 
place to place, giving the Gospel to the people, and 
they were liked by the people and frequently had 
many attentive listeners. Several years after they 
returned home one of them wrote, " We spent two 
years in giving the Gospel to the Africans, and yet 



442 AFRICA 

we cannot point to one soul whom we definitely 
helped." We believe they underestimated the value 
of their work, for they always aimed to labor in 
harmony with other missionaries on the field and 
would advise natives to go to the nearest mission 
station. Yet the fact remains that unless the young- 
er Christian natives attend school and learn to read 
the Word, and have it instilled into their minds 
from day to day, they are apt to forget and wander 
away. 

I have dwelt thus at length on the educational 
feature of the work, because there are many good 
Christians who fail to understand why so much of 
a missionary's time is occupied in teaching the na- 
tives. It is simply for the reason that that is the 
only means they have of learning to read the Word 
of God. Among the natives of Africa there are no 
schools but the mission schools, and the chief pur- 
pose of these is to teach the natives to read the ■ 
Word understanding^, so that they may " be able 
to teach others also." On the other hand, since 
schools are such an essential part of the work, 
there are not wanting those who confuse the edu- 
cation thus obtained with religion itself, and think 
all who become able to read are Christians. That 
is a consummation devoutly to be wished by every 
missionary,.but it is no more true in Africa than it 
is in England or America. The fact that it is not 
true in those civilized countries may have much to 
do with the fact that it is not true in Africa. 

Since the day-school at Macha never assumed 
large proportions, and there were many children all 
around us, especially girls, who were not in school, 



MACHA MISSION 443 

it had been the aim from the beginning to train 
teachers who might be placed in the various villages 
to teach and give the Gospel to the people in their 
homes, and thus multiply the work done by the mis- 
sionaries manyfold. A number of schools had been 
started in this way. In this work it is always nec- 
essary to use great care in the selection of teachers, 
that they may be teachers of righteousness as well 
as teachers of books. A boy may be quite apt as a 
scholar, and so far as is known be a moral person, 
but if he has not yielded himself to Christ as his 
Savior and has not a love for souls in his heart, he 
often does more harm than good as a teacher. In 
other words, he must be a missionary as well as a 
teacher, and lift up Christ among them. We often 
send a boy, who is prepared, back to his own village 
as teacher, if we have such a one. Mr. Worthing- 
ton, Secretary for Native Affairs, when informed of 
this said, " I greatly approve of your custom of send- 
ing natives back to their own home to teach their 
people. I think it will obviate many difficulties in 
the way of native teachers." 

The out-schools are superintended by the mis- 
sionaries, who if possible visit them once a month 
and advise the teachers in reference to the work. If 
the schools are too far away for the pupils to attend 
church services at the mission, arrangements are 
made for services to be held more or less frequent- 
ly at the schools. The native teachers also hold 
daily worship and Scripture reading with their 
schools, and all others who desire to attend. 

In order that my readers may gain some informa- 
tion in reference to the out-schools connected with 



444 AFRICA 

Macha Mission, you are invited to accompany me 
on a visit to them, such as I made shortly before re- 
turning to America. Miss E. Engle will accom- 
pany me, as she has charge of them during my ab- 
sence. Two of the boys are also going as leader 
and driver. While we are absent on this trip, Apu- 
leni will have charge of the school at Macha. He 
was the second boy to come to the mission, nearly 
seven years before, and has been with us ever since, 
except for nearly eighteen months, when he, with 
other boys, went away to Salisbury to work. He has 
made good in school, and has accepted Christ as his 
Savior. He says his chief desire is to know the will 
of God and do it. He is well versed in the Scriptures, 
is a good teacher and helper in Sunday-school, and 
reads, not only his own Tonga language, but also 
Zulu quite readily, and English, and acts as an in- 
terpreter from these two languages into his own. 
He is also prepared in the other branches taught. 
As he is our assistant teacher all the time, we know 
the school will not suffer in his hands. 

We are going in the large two-seated spring wag- 
on with a white canvas top, sent out by the Board 
two years ago. One of the seats is removed, and in 
the back part of the wagon is placed a box contain- 
ing food, dishes, and the like equipments for our 
meals. There is also put in a large five-gallon can 
of good drinking water, two folding canvas bed- 
steads, a bundle containing bedding, and a mosquito 
net, and underneath the wagon in a framework is a 
tent which we have lately acquired. There is also a 
small bag of cornmeal, a tin of ground peanuts, some 
dried greens for the boys, and some whole pea- 



MACHA MISSION 445 

nuts for all of us. Where the 'dashboard was orig- 
inally is now a long box in which are placed kettles 
and cooking utensils. And we do not forget to stow- 
away in the box of the seat a quantity of bananas 
and lemons, of which the mission has an abundance ; 
also some fresh vegetables. A small canvas bag, in 
which the drinking water is cooled, hangs on the 
side of the wagon. Four oxen are inspanned and 
one boy takes hold of the strap in front to lead the 
oxen, and another, with a long, slender pole, to 
which is tied a long, slender leathern lash, drives. 
He sometimes sits on the box in front and some- 
times runs along the side. 

We remember the times, not so very long ago, 
when we were not so comfortably equipped for trav- 
eling as we are at present. W r e walked many weary 
miles to see the people, and thoroughly enjoyed it 
too, even though the hard earth at times was our 
bed and the open canopy of heaven our tent, and na- 
tive food in part supplied our needs. Then it was 
not possible to visit as many places in a day as now, 
and frequently when we arrived we were too tired 
to do justice to the Word. Then also we failed to 
reach many villages, because of the distance. Now 
it seems almost too good to be true that we are so 
well supplied, for the Lord has again wonderfully 
verified His precious promise, " to do exceeding 
abundantly above all that we ask or think." Praise 
His Holy Name ! Yet we would not, if we could, 
do away with those early days and the blessings 
attending them, and we are better able to appreciate 
present favors by contrast. 

Usually we endeavor to start not later than sun- 



446 



AFRICA 




MACHA MISSION 447 

rise, so that we may travel in the cool of the morn- 
ing; fur the sun becomes quite hot in the middle of 
the day, and it is advisable then to be under shelter. 
At this time, November, however, the morning is 
cloudy, so that we may have rain ; but the clouds 
make traveling pleasant and we start. We go north 
and a little east. Where the roads are good the 
oxen trot off briskly ; but in many places there are 
deep ruts, caused by the heavy rains of previous 
years, which make progress slow. In some places 
the ruts are a foot or two in depth, and it is neces- 
sary to make a new road along the side, for there 
are no government-built roads in the country. 

The grass of the previous year's growth was burnt 
off in June or July ; and ever since, as far as the eye 
could reach, nothing could be seen except the great 
stretch of undulating reddish-brown earth, destitute 
of everything, save here and there little patches of 
dried grass, which had escaped the scorching fires, 
and scattered trees, almost destitute of leaves. There 
has been no rain for six or seven months ; yet spring 
is approaching, and already in the rich valleys may 
be seen tender blades of grass springing up. On the 
bare brown hills here and there are flowers of vari- 
ous kinds, which gladden the eye and relieve the 
monotony of the scene. Where the moisture comes 
from at this season of the year to produce such deli- 
cate blossoms is a cause of conjecture. Then too, 
already many of the trees and shrubs are putting 
forth their tender, beautiful green leaves, some of 
which look as delicate and shining as wax ; and oc- 
casionally one sees a tree or shrub with white, yel- 
low, or red blossoms preparatory to putting forth 



448 AFRICA 

leaves. All these changes we note with pleasure as 
we ride along in the cool, bracing air of the early 
morning. 

At one place is to be seen Chikuni stump, which 
seems almost like a stone, and has been a landmark 
within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. The 
majority of trees which are to be seen on this road 
are hardwood, but very crooked and scrubby look- 
ing, no doubt owing to the yearly fierce onslaught 
of fire and also the nature of the soil. Along the 
road is one solitary mahogany; a large, spreading 
tree this is, but not a very good sample of its kind. 
There is also a large tree known as the sausage tree ; 
its immense bean pods, one to two feet in length and 
a foot and over in circumference, reminding one of 
a great piece of sausage. Numerous acacia are to 
be seen, and as we approach the river, five miles 
from home, we see six large, fine-looking fig trees, 
their rich, dark-green foliage furnishing beautiful 
shade. Although this is the Myeki River, there is 
no water where we cross, yet the deep, bridgeless 
ravine makes crossing for heavily-laden wagons dif- 
ficult at all seasons, and almost impassable during 
the rainy seasons. Here is a large village, but we 
proceed two miles further and come to Mianda 
School, where Charlie Sichamba teaches. 

This is not a large village, but it is the home of a 
number of some of our best boys; those who have 
been of greatest assistance in teaching and in in- 
dustrial work. The village has been lately moved, 
and huts are not yet all completed, nor is the school- 
house finished. We drive near and are met by a 
number of the pupils, for we are always certain of a 



MACHA MISSION 449 

welcome at this place. The rain, which has been 
threatening, begins to come down, and one of the 
new huts is given to us. Wood is brought and a 
fire is kindled in the center, that we may have 
breakfast. A mat is placed on the nicely-swept 
floor, and on this the tablecloth is spread and the 
breakfast placed after it is cooked. This consists of 
corn porridge, with milk, bread, butter, eggs, fruit, 
and coffee if we desire it. Muguwe sends us milk, 
for he always sees that we are furnished with fresh 
milk when we come here. The boys are given an- 
other hut in which to cook their food. The meal 
being over, we hand the dishes to one of the boys to 
be washed, while we turn our attention to the school 
and work for which we came. 

By this time the rain is beginning to abate, and 
the pupils, about twenty in number, assemble in 
another hut for school. Today there are not quite 
as many as usual, because there is a wedding in 
progress. Here is Muguwe, a tall, odd-looking na- 
tive, over thirty years of age, and a Christian, and 
so far as we can learn he is consistent in his life. 
Learning is difficult for him, but he is making prog- 
ress and is quite persevering. His wife for a long 
time was opposed to his serving the Lord, but she 
is changing, and we trust that she too may accept 
Christ as her Savior. The stepdaughter is also in 
school and is making progress in Divine life. There 
are several other women and some girls and boys. 
Some of them seem very slow in accepting Christ, 
but there has manifestly been a change in the lives 
of some, and a number of the old women are be- 
lievers. During the last year of drought, when the 



450 AFRICA 

people of nearly every village were so zealous in 
their heathen worship for rain, this was one of the 
two who stood true. After school is over, the older 
ones are summoned to join with us in worship, and 
we take the occasion once more to give them a 
Gospel message, to which they listen attentively. 
Here are Tom's mother, Jim's mother, and Chikaile's 
mother, all of whom seem to believe as far as they 
have grasped the Truth. 

We are especially grieved today, however, be- 
cause of the wedding which is progressing, for we 
knew nothing about it until we were on the journey. 
The bride is a Christian girl and has had a good 
experience, although she is not yet baptized. She is 
only about fifteen years old, or perhaps a little older, 
and has been given to an unsaved boy, who, how- 
ever, has no other wife. We inquired of one of the 
boys if she wished to marry him. He looked at us 
in sort of a pitying manner, as if to say, " You 
should know better than to ask such a question," 
and replied, " They did not ask her." After the 
service Ave go up to the hut of the bride, and find 
her not feigning to cry, as some of the brides do, but 
in reality weeping most bitterly. At the sight of us 
her sobs break forth afresh. We try to comfort her, 
but what can or what dare we say? We speak to 
the mother, who also has confessed Christ, but she 
is the first wife in a line of five. She frankly ac- 
knowledges that she preferred to give her daughter 
to a Christian, but was overruled. The brothers too, 
who are Christians, could do nothing, the older rel- 
atives having arranged the affair. Her father is 
chief of the village and an influential man. He has 



MACHA MISSION 451 

always been a friend of the mission, but he feels 
that he can manage his own affairs best, and his 
children are taught implicit obedience. We know- 
that remonstrance is useless, and from his conver- 
sation it is evident that he thinks he has provided 
wisely for his child, because the groom is son of the 
chief at Kabanzi, where one of our schools is lo- 
cated, and the young fellow had even attended 
school for a few r days. The affair might be more 
serious, and we hope and pray that in time both may 
be Christians. 

The next school is four miles farther on this road, 
at Impongo, and the teacher there is Singuzu, whose 
home is at Mianda. He is not so far advanced in 
learning, so he recites to Charlie. He is, however, 
a conscientious and Spirit-filled Christian. He ac- 
companies us to his place of teaching. This is a 
new school, has been in session only about three 
months, and is held out in the open air in the shade 
of a tree ; but they are gathering poles to build a 
hut. The people had asked several times for a school, 
and we finally concluded to give them one. The 
teacher is doing his work faithfully, and progress is 
being made by the pupils in learning to read ; but 
there are some things in connection with this school 
which are making the work very unsatisfactory, 
and both the teacher and ourselves think best to 
discontinue it. After the recitations are finished a 
service is held with them and they seem interested. 
When the late dinner is over it is decided to go 
about six miles west, to Kabanzi, the next school. 

By this time it is somewhat late in the day, but it 
is. hoped that our destination may be reached before 



452 AFRICA 

dark. Singuzu, who is a better driver than the one 
accompanying us, is asked to go along and drive. 
This road is very little traveled and a white man 
might not be able to find it ; but the natives accus- 
tomed to these trackless wilds do not soon become 
lost. Nearly the entire distance is through the 
brush, consisting of both large trees and short un- 
derbrush, so that the journey is more or less im- 
peded. We travel along at a fair speed for oxen, as 
the driver is accustomed to dodging trees and 
shrubs ; but darkness overtakes us before the village 
is reached. Progress is now slow, since the veldt 
from this to the village is full of the stumps of trees 
cut off, native fashion, two or three feet above 
ground, and we are fearful of running into these and 
breaking the wagon. Finally the wagon does be- 
come fast and the oxen must be unhitched until it is 
extricated. We again enter the wagon and move 
on. The welcome sight of the village fires shining 
out amid the darkness indicates that the end of the 
journey is near at hand. As we approach, a pack 
of dogs greet us with their loud barking, and light 
after light shines out through the open doors of the 
huts, or from the courtyard where the men, in the 
shelter of a semicircle of reeds, sit and palaver. 
There is no more pleasing sight to travelers through 
African wilds than the bright and cheerful blaze of 
the indispensable campfire, which answers for light 
and heat, for preparing the evening meal and ward- 
ing off the wild animals. 

As we reach the village, a number of natives 
emerge from their huts in order to ascertain who 
these intruders are, coming along the back of the 



MACHA MISSION 453 

village. On seeing their missionaries they gladly of- 
fer their services to conduct the wagon through the 
trees and stumps to the schoolhouse and teacher's 
hut. Sister Engle and I conclude not to have the 
tent pitched for the night, but to have our beds 
placed in the large, roomy schoolhouse, which 
boasts of a good plank door. We have had a busy 
day, for we have visited two schools, held two serv- 
ices, prepared our food, and traveled seventeen 
miles, so we are soon resting on our comfortable 
stretchers. 

In the morning breakfast is prepared early, for 
the school is to begin earlier than usual so that we 
may continue our journey. We, however, take time 
to go over to the village and have a chat with some 
of the older people. This is Kabanzi village, and it 
has our oldest and best school. Before the opening 
of school services were held here frequently, and 
some were interested, but no one gave indications 
of wanting to follow the Lord until after school 
opened. Several boys from this place were con- 
verted while attending school at Macha. The teach- 
er is Jamu, a careful, painstaking and faithful 
Christian. He is greatly interested in the spiritual 
as well as the intellectual advancement of his pu- 
pils. He carefully reads and explains the Word to 
them day by day, and he is a good evangelist. While 
in school at Macha he was always one of our best 
workmen in laying brick, sawing and thatching. 
There are generally about fifty pupils enrolled in 
this school and about thirty-five in daily attendance. 
Twelve have been baptized and nearly all the rest 
are in the Inquirers' Class. 



454 AFRICA 

We enter the schoolroom and the pupils march 
around the building, then enter and take their places 
on the logs extending across the room. All kneel 
and repeat the Lord's prayer, and then teaching be- 
gins. A few are reading the charts, some are in the 
first book, a number in the " Bible Stories," while a 
few are reading the Gospels of St. Mark and St. 
Matthew. A number of pupils are married men and 
women. The women bring their babies, and yet 
with the interruption caused by these, they have 
learned to read well and are in the " Bible Stories." 
They exhibit remarkable perseverance, for they not 
only attend school, but dig in their gardens, carry 
wood and water, grind their meal, and prepare their 
food. On Sunday they walk nine miles to Macha to 
church, for they, together with their husbands, are 
Christians, or seeking to be such. The teacher says 
that they started to school first ; then their husbands 
followed. The husbands also work in the gardens, 
build huts, hunt game for food, and part of the time 
work for the white man in order to obtain money 
for taxes and clothes. They have also lately been 
buying cloth to make dresses for their wives, and 
one day I came upon one of the men carefully wash- 
ing his wife's dress. The Gospel is making them 
better husbands and more careful and considerate 
of their wives. The heathen worship, with its at- 
tendant evils, together with vice, beer, tobacco, and 
kindred habits, is being banished from these few 
homes at least. When other villages were worship- 
ing their rainmakers, these too were daily worship- 
ing, but it was the Lord of lords Whom they wor- 
shiped. W r hen the older ones desired to resort to 



MACHA MISSION 455 

their heathen worship, the Christians said, " No; if 
you do we shall build a kraal of our own." This 
means that there are many in the village who are 
not Christians, and some of them stoutly oppose the 
sehool ; but the chief is favorable, as some of his 
children are Christians. There are also several old 
women in addition to the pupils who are breaking 
away from their old worship and accepting Christ. 
There is one old woman here who has come out very 
bright in her Christian experience. She meets with 
much opposition, but she does not waver. 

After we have remained one session of school, 
some of the older people are called and we have a 
service for very interested listeners. The boys then 
inspan the oxen and we proceed west to Kabwe 
School, about five or six miles distant. These are 
the people with whom we held a week's service over 
a year before. At this place our tent is pitched and 
we prepare to spend the night. This is a Baila vil- 
lage, and at first Sikaluwa had charge of the school, 
as he was brought up among that tribe and is a good 
Christian boy. He did good work for nearly a year, 
but he did not wish to continue. We were in doubt 
as to whom we should send to teach them ; and 
after praying over the matter we concluded to con- 
sult the Christians in Members' Meeting, and in- 
quire if anyone felt led of the Lord to take up the 
work there. At the close of the meeting we were 
surprised to have Chikaile come and say that he was 
willing to undertake the work, the Lord helping. 
He had been at the mission for some years and was 
quite capable of teaching. He is also one of the 
most cheerful and willing workers, but he is so 



456 AFRICA 

young, perhaps only seventeen years of age. Be- 
cause he is such an earnest and conscientious Chris- 
tian, however, he was given the privilege, and has 
succeeded beyond our highest expectations. The 
kraal had just been moved and divided, so that he 
was obliged to build a new hut for himself. This 
he speedily did, and then began a schoolhouse which, 




with a little assistance from the villagers, was soon 
under roof. There is nothing lazy about the boy, 
and the school, as well as the work of the Lord, is 
progressing in his hands. He soon learned to know 
the people and the kind of lives they are leading, 
and is fearless in exposing sin, although he is al- 
ways mild and humble in his demeanor. With him, 
as well as with other teachers who do not teach in 



MACHA MISSION 457 

their homes, a boy is sent, so that lie need not be 
alone. 

In this school we find twenty-four pupils in at- 
tendance, among them two elderly women. One of 
these, the mother of another Christian woman, has 
made a good confession. She entered school and we 
smiled somewhat incredulously, thinking that she 
was too old to learn ; but our next visit to the school 
revealed the fact that she was making decided prog- 
ress, and it seemed evident that she would soon be 
able to read the Gospel. After school was over, 
services were held and the people invited back for 
night meeting. We then prepared our food. Dur- 
ing these visits to the villages the people sometimes 
bring a present of a chicken, a dish of peanuts, some 
milk, or whatever they think we might relish. Oc- 
casionally, on a hot day, it is a cup of ibwantu. This 
is a gruel made of the meal of native grain into 
which has been placed crushed root with an acid 
flavor. It is usually made in the evening and con- 
sumed the next day. It is not alcoholic, and has a 
very cooling and refreshing taste. It will be brought 
in a large cup, and as is their custom, the donor 
usually takes a sip first to show there is no poison 
in it. 

When this village was moved and divided into 
three parts, we about gave up the thought of open- 
ing school again, but the chief was not satisfied, and 
promised that if school was reopened he would see 
that the children came together to learn ; so we 
agreed to send a teacher. Six very nice young girls 
came from Kabwe to stay at Macha and attend 



458 AFRICA 

school ; but others entered to fill up the ranks and 
the work continues. 

Early the next morning we start on our home- 
ward way. The road takes us back past Kabanzi, 
and there we turn south toward Macha. On the 
way we come to a place which at first sight might 
be taken for an old deserted native village ; but a 
closer inspection reveals the fact that the huts were 
never finished. Here is the framework of twelve 
large, nice-looking huts. Some have just been right- 
ly started; of some the walls are finished, and on 
others the builders had begun to put on the roof. 
Poles are scattered all around, and some poles are 
at a distance from the huts, but near the road, and 
look as if those who were carrying them had 
dropped them hastily. The whole has the appear- 
ance as if a number of people were busily engaged 
in building a village and were surprised by an enemy 
in the midst of their labors and slain, their work 
unfinished. What does it mean? This question we 
asked ourselves on first seeing it. The answer was 
this : They were indeed surprised by an enemy, 
but that enemy was death. The headman sickened 
and died ; his son followed. Concluding that the 
place was bewitched, the rest at once abandoned it 
and went elsewhere, leaving all those fine, straight 
poles to rot. 

On the journey homeward we again come to My- 
eki River, for this is a very winding stream, and this 
crossing is several miles farther west. At this place 
there is another school. We stop near the village, 
where Mafuta the teacher lives, and he, with some 
of the rest, comes out to meet us. We have driven 



MACHA MISSION 459 

about ten miles this morning and now hastily pre- 
pare breakfast and eat. Some tall, beautiful bottle 
palms grow in this vicinity, and while we are eating, 
the teacher brings us the fruit of one, a part of which 
is eaten with relish. We then start off on foot for 
the school, which is about two miles distant, near 
another village. We leave the lead boy to herd the 
oxen, while the little herdboys of this village drive 
their cattle ahead, so that they may learn in school 
and at the same time watch the cattle. 

As we walk along the path, through this some- 
what dense forest, let me tell you something of this 
teacher, Mafuta. He is older than the most of our 
boys and was already grown when we reached Ma- 
cha, seven years ago. He at that time worked for us 
a few months. For over three years, however, he 
showed no inclination to want to learn or be a Chris- 
tian, and seldom came to Church. He was just like 
the other natives in the village and indulged in 
their sinful and lazy ways. Finally he informed one 
of the boys that he was coming to school until he 
had sufficient money to take a wife. We were quite 
skeptical when we heard it ; for we did not expect 
that he would remain long, and then too school was 
not a money-making place. He came and applied 
himself to school work. He was slow and dull, but 
he was diligent and made progress. 

He entered the Inquirers' Class and the Lord 
found a way into his heart. One day in the class, 
when a number came forward for special prayer, he 
became in earnest and found what he sought — par- 
don for his dark past, and peace in his soul. As he 
took his seat his face wore a look of new-found joy, 



460 AFRICA 

and he arose and testified as to what the Lord had 
done for him. In work also he was faithful, and he 
soon learned to handle the oxen in plowing and in 
the wagon, and thus he received higher wages. By 
close economy he gradually was able to get a little 
money ahead. In time he was baptized. He gained 
one of the nicest girls in the neighborhood as his 
wife, is married by Christian marriage, and is now 
teaching this school. He is not as quick at learning 
as some, but he is faithful and painstaking and is a 
living Christian among them. When we look at 
him and think how little faith we had in the early 
days, we are reminded of the words, " The Lord 
seeth not as man seeth ; for man looketh on the out- 
ward appearance, but God looketh on the heart." 

We visit the school and find twenty-four scholars 
assembled, the teacher's wife among the number. 
It is a new school, but the pupils are making ad- 
vancement. After services we retrace our steps to 
the waiting wagon, and then return to the mission, 
which is only about four and one-half miles distant. 
We have spent three days out, have visited five 
schools and have traveled thirty-six miles in some- 
what of a circle. We have enjoyed the trip and the 
change from the routine of the mission station, but 
a person is glad to reach home, after a few days 
spent on the veldt. 

Again we desire to visit Chilumbwe School, which 
is about seven miles northeast. Here the natives 
were asking for some time for a school. We had 
come to the conclusion, however, that no more 
schools would be opened until the people of the vil- 
lage erect some sort of a schoolhouse. They are 



MACHA MISSION 461 

always ready to promise that they will build, but it" 
a teacher is provided before the house is built they 
generally are slow in carrying out their promise. 
Then too it is not best to make the work too easy 
for them. They appreciate most that which has 
cost them something. The work among them is 
new, and as the schools are especially for children, 
and money is always scarce, we dare not expect too 
much at present. If they are eager for a teacher 
they can at least build a schoolhut, feed their teach- 
er, buy their own books, and these they are expected 
to do. Even the poorest buy their books, and if they 
cannot bring money they often bring a chicken or 
grain in pay. The people at Chilumbwe finally man- 
aged to build their hut and school began a month 
ago. 

We again take the wagon and go north as before, 
but soon turn off toward the east. We pass through 
Chikuni, where formerly there was a large village, 
and over under that large, spreading fig tree Sikalu- 
wa taught school. But sickness entered the village ; 
the chief's wife died, a child followed, and then a 
young man, all in the same village. All these died 
in a similar manner which, from the description giv- 
en afterwards, must have been spinal meningitis. 
They thought it was witchcraft and became afraid 
of one another. So they separated, some going one 
,way, some the other. We pass several kraals on the 
way and finally reach Chilumbwe. 

The chief of this village is rich in cattle and is an 
unusually intelligent and well-bred native. Jim is 
the teacher. Yes, he is that short, well-dressed na- 
tive with the colored glasses on. He is the one who 



462 AFRICA 

lost his eye and is very sensitive on account of the 
defect; but he is a splendid fellow, faithful, humble, 
and an excellent workman. He is moreover a sin- 
cere Christian, anxious to know and do the will of 
his Heavenly Father. 

As the wagon approaches the schoolhouse we are 
greeted by the chief and a number of the pupils, for 
they are expecting the visit. It is decided to have 
services first so that the older ones need not remain. 
The pupils, together with some men and women 
from the village, gather around a large shade tree, 
the chief taking a prominent position. All the pu- 
pils join lustily in the singing, seemingly anxious to 
impress upon their missionaries that they are pro- 
gressing in that at least. A service is then held, 
after which the pupils gather in the little school- 
house for school. There are about fifty pupils al- 
ready enrolled in this school, some being from neigh- 
boring kraals, and there are over thirty in attend- 
ance today. They are starting out well, but how 
many will continue remains to be seen. The pupils 
are all young men and boys, and the teacher in- 
forms us that they will not allow the women and 
girls to attend school. We cannot force them to let 
the girls come, nor is it wise to attempt it, so we 
just look to the Lord and wait until He can find a 
way into their hearts. At all the other out-schools 
the girls generally outnumber the boys. This being 
a new school, nearly all read on the charts ; only two 
or three have passed that stage, but we have two 
beginning books along and they are bought. There 
are no Christians at this place, and the one that 
seems most interested in the Gospel is the chief's 



MACHA MISSION 463 

son. He was badly mauled by a leopard a few 
months ago, and the chief brought him to the mis- 
sion to be treated. Sister Engle very -successfully 
treated his wounds; and while he was with us he 
came under the influence of the Gospel, and we be- 
lieve he is reaching out for more knowledge of his 
Savior. 

All the schools have now been visited. There is 
a call for a school southwest about six miles, and 
there is a teacher for it ; but the people have not yet 
erected a schoolhouse. The villages near have asked 
for schools and have had them ; but many have op- 
posed the Gospel and the work has not proved a 
success among them. There are a few in each vil- 
lage who are Christians, and some of them are with 
us and others coming to day-school. We are not 
yet discouraged with these at our doors who have 
been hardening their hearts against the truth. God 
has yet among them some who will come out strong 
for Him, for we know that His Spirit is striving with 
them and with some it will not strive in vain. It can 
be seen that a knowledge of God is slowly spreading 
over the country and real miracles are being per- 
formed in the hearts of some of these erstwhile 
heathen ; miracles greater than the raising of Laza- 
rus from the dead. Souls are being raised to walk in 
newness of life and are living witnesses to those 
around them of Christ's power to save to the utter- 
most. God's love has bridged the immense chasm 
in the lives of some between the densest, darkest 
paganism and the glorious Light of the children of 
men. But we must be patient with the slow ones, 
for it is not always those who are the most ready 



464 AFRICA 

to accept who are the most stable. Some delay 
long years and finally come out strong and vigorous 
for Christ. Where only rude, coarse heathen songs 
were heard, anthems of praise to God now arise, and 
daily prayer ascends. 

It may be seen that the natives are governed by 
a number of petty chiefs, and that they frequently 
change the location of their villages. This makes 
the work among the out-schools more difficult; but 
others are calling for schools, and already the past 
year over 200 children were enrolled in the out- 
schools, in addition to those at Macha ; and this 
where only a few years ago the names school and 
God were not known. We are touching only a 
small spot thus far and see a great wall of darkness 
just beyond ; a darkness which we occasionally seek 
to penetrate. Other bodies of missionaries also are 
laboring in some sections of the country, but there 
is much land ahead yet to be possessed, and many 
natives still in darkness who can say, " No man car- 
eth for my soul." 

The salvation of Africa rests largely upon the na- 
tive converts, and we rejoice for the manner in 
which some are coming to the help of the Lord's 
cause, and we trust they may ever have the prayers 
of all who are interested in the evangelization of 
this vast continent. Natives, however, cannot do 
the work alone. There always is need of white 
workers to oversee and direct the work, or it will 
not advance satisfactorily. We believe the Lord de- 
sires us to ask largely these latter days, but in this 
instance we shall be modest in our request, and that 
is, that the way be open to start at least one more 



MACHA MISSION 465 

station of white workers in Northern Rhodesia. We 
believe the Lord is speaking to some hearts to open 
such a work. Is He not speaking to others to give 
of their prayers and money for the work? Many of 
God's children could pay $200 or $300 a year toward 
the support of a white worker, and others $40 to $50 
for a native evangelist, and not need to deny them- 
selves any of the comforts of life in the doing of it. 
May God help us to see and appreciate our privileges 
in Christ Jesus. 



CHAPTER FIFTEEN 
Conclusion 

I desire to protest against the unholy thirst for statis- 
tics; it is perfectly impossible to put into statistics the re- 
sults of mission work. — Lord Selborne, Late High Com- 
missioner for South Africa. 

IN the preceding pages it has been the aim to 
present some of the work done, as it has been 
our privilege to see it. Much more might be 
written about the progress of the work at Matopo, 
Mapani, and Mtyabezi Stations, for they have a 
number of excellent out-stations, manned by expe- 
rienced and Spirit-filled natives, and are doing en- 
couraging work ; but that would be beyond the 
scope of this little volume. We must leave that for 
the able and efficient missionaries at those places 
and content ourselves with a summary of the work. 
But first we desire to refer to the work at Johan- 
nesburg, for during the last few years some of our 
missionaries there have been laboring in connection 
with our Mission Board. Over four years ago Mr. 
and Mrs. Isaac Lehman severed their connection 
with the other missionary bodies and began build- 
ing up a separate work, and a little later began la- 
boring under the auspices of the Church. They be- 
gan the new work under difficulties, but they are 
persevering and hard workers, both in temporal and 
spiritual lines, and the work shows excellent re- 
466 



MACHA MISSION 467 

suits from their consecrated labors. Brother Leh- 
man has worked hard to put up suitable buildings, 
and their station is now equipped with a good house 
and church. As I have not had the privilege of vis- 
iting that place since the opening of their new work, 
they were asked to give a statement of what is being 
done. This they did under date of August, 1914, as 
follows: 

Our main or central station is at the City Deep Mine, 
where we reside. The Compound only a short distance 
from the mission at this place has over 4,000 native labor- 
ers in it at one time. This is a very promising mine, and 
has just lately been opened, and has an apparently long 
life before it under normal conditions. It will in time 
employ many more men as it keeps enlarging. We have 
open .doors to this vast multitude of men coming from 
all parts, of South Africa. There are many tribes repre- 
sented and we can preach the Gospel to them; and we 
praise the Lord that some have been saved and are seek- 
ing to know more of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We have four other mission stations besides this central 
station. One is Florida Mission, where there is a nice num- 
ber of baptized members and we believe a good work is 
being done. At the Goch Station the Lord has given 
some blessings and some souls have been added to the 
Church. At that place the mine has given us permission 
to apply to the government for a mission site, and the 
native brethren have already contributed a nice sum of 
money to put up a suitable church building. Praise the 
Lord! At the consolidated Langlaagte there is a good 
work going on; a number have been saved and united with 
the Church. We have had some blessed seasons at this 
place owned of God. The Bantjes has had its share of 
tests, but we praise God that souls have also, at this place, 
been added to the Church, and the work is progressing. 

From all the stations, one main and four out-stations, 
fifty-seven souls have been baptized. We praise God for 



468 AFRICA 

all these, and for a number who have heard God's call to 
them to give themselves to Jesus to work for Him and 
labor for the salvation of their own people through Jesus' 
precious blood. Thank God there is power in the blood to 
save any and all who will come. There are a goodly number 
who are soon ready for baptism, and we are trying to do 
all we can to get them fully established in the deep truth 
of the Bible, a full and complete salvation, pardon cleans- 
ing, and the filling of the Holy Ghost. Some have taken 
a very bold stand for God, and are now preparing them- 
selves for the Lord's work. Our desire and prayer is 
that we get a band of really consecrated, sanctified, 
Spirit-filled ones, who are willing to suffer the loss of all 
things for Jesus, and be made a living power to go out 
among their own people and help win them for Jesus. 

Dear reader, will you pray with us for all these who are 
yet without the True Light, that they will soon have the 
privilege of hearing the glad news which is to all and for 
all? We have very good meetings in the large hospitals, 
where are many afflicted and dying. This is a good op- 
portunity to give them the Word of God. 

Isaac and Alice Lehman. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Eyster have also been labor- 
ing in Johannesburg and have been valiant and con- 
secrated messengers of the Cross. For several years 
they had charge of the Training School for Native 
Evangelists near Johannesburg, in connection with 
the Compound's Mission under Mr. A. W. Baker. 
They have always been members of the Brethren's 
Church and several years ago concluded to sever 
their connection with the other mission and also la- 
bor in connection with our Mission Board. They 
secured a good opening at Boxburg, and with much 
self-sacrificing labor built house and church and 
opened an encouraging work. Souls were saved and 



MACHA MISSION 



469 




470 AFRICA 

some added to the Church. Then the labor troubles 
in Johannesburg caused the mines in the vicinity to 
close down and the work was checked. We trust, 
however, that it is only a temporary check and that 
the work may move on under the blessing of God. 

Nothing has yet been written about the last sta- 
tion opened, and this would be incomplete without 
reference being made to it. I refer to the one at 
Mandamabge, near Selukwe, Southern Rhodesia. 
Mr. and Mrs. Levi Doner had been stationed for 
several years at Mapani Mission and had done most 
excellent work there in the Master's cause. They, 
however, thought that that station was near enough 
to Matopo and Mtyabezi Missions and it could be 
left in charge of the native teacher, Nyamazana, so 
that they might be free to open another work in new 
territory. For this purpose Brother Doner, accom- 
panied by Brother Frey, made an extensive tour 
among the natives, and he finally decided to locate 
at the above-named place, over 200 miles by wagon 
road from Matopo Mission. 

In the latter part of August, 1911, Brother and 
Sister Doner, together with Brother Steckley and 
Sister Book, started for this place, and opened a 
work with every prospect of success. There were 
many natives surrounding them, who at once 
showed an interest in the work. They were there 
only about two months, however, before Brother 
Doner became sick and was called to lay down his 
life in the undertaking. From the time he had set 
foot on African soil, over ten years before, he had 
entered heart and soul into the work of the Lord 
and had labored continually with the exception of 



MACHA MISSION 471 

over a year's furlough in America. No Labor was 

too arduous, no distance too great, no hardship 
feared, if thereby he might carry the Gospel to the 
people. Many long journeys he made by foot, by 
bicycle, by wagon, in exploring the country and in 
preaching the Gospel. Perhaps he was overzealous 
in the work at times, and if he had spared his 
strength more he might be still with us. Who 
knows? He gave the Gospel to many natives and 
helped many into the light. He certainly laid down 
his life in behalf of the Africans. While his body 
rests out in the wilds, far from other white people, 
we believe he is already enjoying some of the fruit 
of his labors. 

Sister Sallie Doner, his wife, was obliged at that 
time to return to America on furlough. On account 
of some difficulty arising in reference to the loca- 
tion of the mission, it was finally decided to aban- 
don the place. Sister Doner and Brother Steckley 
are now ably laboring in the interests of the work at 
Macha, and Sister Book at Mtyabezi. 

There are now in connection with the African 
work twenty-one white missionaries, including those 
who are home on furlough, and thirty native teach- 
ers and evangelists. There have been over 300 na- 
tives baptized, and there are more than that number 
in the Inquirers' Classes. As the various out-schools 
are just being properly launched, the work may be 
expected to bear fruitage in geometrical ratio. Take 
for instance last year, 1913 ; there were 109 additions 
to the Church at the various missions. These fig- 
ures are not large, and they indicate only a small 
proportion of the work really accomplished by the 



472 AFRICA 

missionaries. As Brother Steigerwald says : " Now 
that the leaven has been put into the meal no one 
can stop it from expanding." Praise God for that! 

We desire to express our appreciation of the En- 
glish Government in aiding mission work and in 
making it possible for missionaries to labor unmo- 
lested in their colonies ; also in suppressing many 
customs harmful to the natives, and which hinder 
the progress of the work. We rejoice also to know 
that the government, as well as the better class of 
the general public, as they become more familiar 
with the work and aims of the missionary are real- 
izing the benefit to the country and are showing 
their appreciation of the same. 

The Church has come up nobly to the help of the 
Lord's work, both by their prayers and means, so 
that all have been generously supported and all the 
stations of white workers have good, substantial 
brick houses and churches, and the workers have 
been well cared for. May the Lord abundantly re- 
ward the donors and the Foreign Mission Board, 
who have given the work their undivided support. 

We rejoice that a beginning has been made, but it 
is only a beginning. Only a very small portion of 
the great continent of Africa is covered by these 
pages, and that only imperfectly covered. The Lord 
has condescended to bless the work ever since its 
inception. It has never gone by leaps and bounds, 
but what was done has been solid and we hope last- 
ing. We rejoice that we have been permitted to see 
natives emerge from the dense darkness of heathen- 
dom — how dark that is none but those who have 
lived among them can realize — and become beacon 



MACHA MISSION 473 

lights in their neighborhood, living witnesses of the 

truth that the Gospel of Christ " is the power of 
God unto salvation to every one that believeth," to 
the pagan African as well as to the enlightened Eu- 
ropean or American. 

Many a time people have said to me, " The peo- 
ple in Africa are more eager to become Christians 
than those in America, are they not? " It seems to 
me that there is little difference in the people ; if 
there is any difference in the results it is because of 
the difference in the methods employed. The mis- 
sionary, as he goes to his field of labor, is after 
souls. That is his business ; it is not a side issue 
It is his business and he makes a business of it and 
uses business methods. He must begin at the bot- 
tom and learn to know his people and enter as far as 
he is able into their surroundings and their lives. 
He makes a study of them. He knows from expe- 
rience that the salvation of these precious ones has 
meant much travail of soul and deaths oft. He 
knows that some one has " filled up that which is 
behind of the afflictions of Christ," in behalf of this 
part of the body of Christ. He knows they have 
been followed with anxious, solicitous eyes from the 
very first when they were infants in Christ, puny 
perhaps, and his heart was made glad, but with ex- 
ceeding trembling lest the many pitfalls should en- 
trap them before their eyes were really open to see 
or understand the danger. He knows some one has 
shed many bitter tears over the stumbling of some 
of these babies. He may now rejoice to see some 
grown to manhood, as it were, in Christ and being 
divinely used of Him in saving others. 



474 



AFRICA 




MACHA MISSION 475' 

The true missionary keeps at it. It is his centred 
thought day after day as he teaches these dirty, care- 
less ones about him to become cleanly and do their 
work properly, how he can lead them on to desire 
a clean life and seek for it. His last thought and 
prayer at night, as he lays his head on the pillow, is 
for guidance as to how to win these precious souls 
and sometimes he is led, like his Master, to spend 
much of the night in prayer. 

Some people, looking on from a distance, think 
there is a great deal of romance connected with 
mission work; that it is full of striking incidents and 
delightful adventures, and that it is a grand oppor- 
tunity to see something of the world. On my first 
furlough home, ten years ago, a little niece gave a 
glowing account of a friend of her mother, and of 
the countries that friend had visited. In conclusion 
the child naively added, " She has traveled almost 
as much as a missionary." This child unwittingly 
voiced the opinion of many a grownup ; for to some 
would-be missionaries the prospect of foreign travel 
occupies a large space in their field of vision, but to 
the genuine missionary foreign travel is but inci- 
dental to mission life; it is the bridge over which he 
passes to some obscure corner of the earth where he 
is hid away from the world's gaze and surrounded 
by an entirely different class of people, of strange 
language and uncouth ways, often repulsive to the 
natural eye and to refined tastes. For months he 
may never see a white face, save those of his col- 
leagues. He does not go with the expectation of 
finding a house already made to order and every- 
thing else he needs, but he is ready to go into the 



476 AFRICA 

wilds, if needs be, and make a home for himself. 
He does not go just because he is willing to do cer- 
tain things in the mission field ; but he is willing 
and ready to do whatever he finds to do, and to go 
wherever the Lord tells him to go, and to stay as 
long as the Lord bids him stay. 

There is, however, a fascination about mission 
work, as every one who is in the field will testify. 
Furloughs are taken because it is an absolute neces- 
sity for the missionary to go away for a time from 
the unhealthy climate and from the absorbing la- 
bors which sap the very vitality. But, when he is in 
his native land, the missionary feels that he is out 
of his element. He is out of touch with the business 
and interests which seem to engross the heart and 
soul of every one about him ; and he is homesick to 
be back again to his field of labor and to see those 
dear 'dark faces. He feels that there is only one 
thing worth living for, and that is to lift up Christ 
among the heathen so that He may draw all men 
unto Himself. He feels that the time is short and 
that the " King's business requires haste," and that 
our Lord's return is imminent. 

Again, as long as a. person thinks he is making a 
great sacrifice in leaving home, friends, and his busi- 
ness, and going as the Lord's messenger among the 
benighted of earth, he would better remain at home. 
If he is really God-called, the day will come when 
he will realize something of the inestimable privi- 
lege of being His ambassador to nations in darkness 
without any knowledge of the Light of Life. All 
earthly things will be lost sight of and his heart will 
burn within him to lift up Christ among the heathen. 



MACHA MISSION 477 

He will gladly go through anything, that the blessed 
Gospel may be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. 

Some one may inquire, " What should I study to 
prepare me for the mission field? " A careful study 
of these pages will, we think, answer that question. 
But to sum it up we would say, anything, everything 
you can, both in school and out ; one never knows 
until he reaches the field what he may meet with. 
The Bible, of course, first, last, and always, and all 
the knowledge with it one can acquire ; then too 
temporal work of various kinds, medicine, nursing, 
hygiene, farming, building, teaching, housekeeping, 
and mission methods. If one has acquired a fair 
knowledge of these and thinks he is well prepared, 
then let him be humble enough to acknowledge that 
he knows only the A B C's of mission work; and 
that when he has reached his field of labor, the Lord, 
and perhaps some of His messengers already in the 
field, will help him to put together into words the 
letters he has learned, and he may add to it day by 
day as the occasion may require. If one has this 
humility and willingness to adapt himself to the 
work, after reaching the field, it will supply much 
of his lack of knowledge along some lines. 

My object in writing thus plainly is not to fright- 
en any one of God's children from the work of the 
Lord ; but rather to help each one carefully to count 
the cost, and to disabuse anyone's mind of false 
notions of mission work. Judging from the sta- 
bility and perseverance of those already connected 
with the work, we have reasons to believe that all 
did count the cost ; but the work is only begun, and 



478 AFRICA 

we trust many more will come to swell the ranks 
and push on the work into the darker regions. 

It has been a little over a century since the first 
missionaries began their work along the coast of 
South Africa; but it is only within the last half 
century that there has been much visible fruit of 
the work done. Even then the missionary labors 
have been chiefly along the coast of the continent 
and along the navigable rivers which are the natural 
highways into the interior. Much of Central Afri- 
ca is still unpossessed. In the report of the last 
Great Missionary Conference it was estimated that 
there are ninety millions of the population of Africa 
as yet untouched by the Gospel. Stupendous fig- 
ures, indeed, to say nothing of the many millions 
whose knowledge of the Gospel is as yet very super- 
ficial ! 

We have already mentioned some of the difficul- 
ties in the way of reaching the people; the great ex- 
panse of country to be traversed, the deadliness of 
the climate, and the high cost of living, which in 
Africa exceeds that of any other country. Again, 
the many languages and dialects, 823 in number,, to- 
gether with the illiteracy of the people, are a serious 
handicap ; but with God " all things are possible." 

The present generation is beholding wonderful 
strides in opening the vast continent to commerce 
and civilization, and above all to Christianity. Rail- 
roads are rapidly being built all over the country, 
uniting the interior with the coast. At the present 
rate it probably will be a matter of only a very few 
years until Cape Town will be connected to Cairo 
by steam through the center of the continent. This 



MACHA MISSION 



479 



central railway is soon to be linked with Benguella, 
on the west coast, which will form a more direct 
route into the interior. Twenty years ago Rhodesia 
had no railroads; in fact, it can scarcely be said 
there was a Rhodesia ; for it was only in its forma- 
tive period. Now it has 1,466 miles of railway owned 
and operated by the government, with an additional 




Boxburg Mis 



Jesse Eyster. 



204 miles extending to the seaport, Beira, on the 
east coast. These are only a portion of what has 
been built in the country. North, south, east, and 
west other lines have been built. 

When one considers the vast amount of labor re- 
quired, and the ail-but insurmountable difficulties to 
be overcome in railroad building in Africa, the 
work already accomplished is little less than miracu- 



480 AFRICA 

lous. The Lord raised up men of large hearts as 
well as large means, to finance much of this. All 
the building material has to be carried long dis- 
tances, and many of the ties and telegraph poles are 
of iron on account of the destructive white ants. 
The traveler can now take the train at Cape Town 
and travel to the border of Congo State, a distance 
by rail of 2,140 miles, for $75, second class. He can 
have a comfortable compartment, furnished with all 
modern conveniences, and obtain his meals on the 
train at a very moderate cost. Freight rates are 
still high on account of the immense distance to be 
traversed and the small amount of goods required to 
supply Central Africa. 

The railroads are fast changing conditions, help- 
ing to solve the question of gaining access to the 
people, and providing good homes and wholesome 
food for the missionaries. There are, however, many 
millions yet outside the railroad belt who are in 
need of the Gospel; but even these can be reached 
with much less difficulty than formerly. 

The language question too is rapidly being solved, 
and great praise is due the noble army of men and 
women who have labored long and hard to reduce 
to writing the seemingly meaningless jargon which 
first greets their ears in going among the natives. 
Many languages have been reduced to writing by 
the missionaries, and the Scriptures have been trans- 
lated into them. Grammars, dictionaries, and text- 
books of various kinds have been written. This 
work, together with the various schools and the 
united labors of the missionaries, is aiding in reduc- 
ing the number of languages. There are, however, 



MACHA MISSION 481 

many tribes which arc yet without missionaries and 
without the Gospel in their language, and they are 
waiting for some one to say, " Here am I, send me." 
This is a task worthy of the greatest minds of the 
age; to reduce to writing an African language and 
to translate into it the Gospel which tells of God's 
love through Jesus Christ, to those downtrodden, 
hag-ridden, demon-worshiping souls. 

The time is opportune for spreading the Gospel in 
Africa ; and if every child of God were willing to do 
his part or her part in the work, the present genera- 
tion could see it carried to all tribes. 

None of the difficulties in the way are insurmount- 
able. When the " Great Commission " was given it 
was backed up by the indisputable assertion, " All 

POWER IS GIVEN UNTO Me IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. 
Go YE THEREFORE, . . . LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAY, 
EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD. AMEN." 



w 



I 

I III: 

llllji 




